Schedule
March 26-29, 2026
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Stowe, VT
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18 CE Hours
Following the 2016 redefinition of sepsis in human medicine, it is increasingly apparent that veterinary medicine must consider to best identify sepsis clinically in small animals and how to define the syndrome from a research perspective. A core group of 12 Emergency and Critical Care specialists are presently undertaking a collaborative effort to better codify sepsis in small animals. We aspire to generate clinically useful definitions that will also help us to perform more rigorous, better standardized and more comparable research moving forward. This will be accomplished by systematically reviewing the existing literature to aid the development of consensus definitions of sepsis and septic shock. We intend to evaluate the performance and utility of this consensus definition through retrospective record review at our various institutions and to develop and launch a means to gather an array of data on potentially septic animals prospectively and on a multicenter basis. This session will provide an update on these efforts.
Biomarkers are not just a topic of research, but are commonly used in emergency and critical care medicine to diagnose, monitor, elucidate, or prognosticate in a variety of diseases and syndromes. This session will describe clinically applicable biomarkers and their utility in various infectious diseases. We will evaluate what is available now and clinically relevant. The attendee will gain knowledge that can be immediately implemented in daily practice.
This session explores practical strategies for managing complex and contaminated wounds, with a focus on stabilizing the patient, performing effective debridement, and choosing appropriate closure techniques. Participants will review case-based approaches to bandage selection, timing of closure versus open management, and methods to minimize complications while supporting optimal healing.
With the onset of recent world events such as the COVID-19 pandemic, the call to action for infection prevention and control (IPC) has never been stronger. Improved focus on clinical IPC efforts is warranted, particularly in the context of multi-drug resistant bacterial organisms (MDROs) of clinical importance. However, an engrained culture of IPC precautions for bacterial pathogens is less well-recognized clinically. This session will outline on core principles of IPC that are necessary to be familiar with in ECC medicine and focus on specific organisms of concern from an IPC lens.
In this lecture, we will review how the most frequently administered blood components are produced, what is their content, their indications for use, and the respective advantages and disadvantages. We will discuss how to pick the optimal blood product in a variety of clinical scenarios and what safe alternatives we have if that product is not available.
Viscoelastic technology has become common practice in ECC medicine. But when is it helpful? This talk will outline clinical scenarios where viscoelastic testing may be either extremely helpful or par for the course, illustrated with real clinical cases.
This session examines the role of wound cultures in guiding antimicrobial use and improving patient outcomes, with emphasis on when cultures are most useful and when they may provide misleading information. Discussion will cover optimal timing and technique for culture collection, interpretation of cytology versus culture results, and strategies to align clinical decisions with antimicrobial stewardship while ensuring effective patient care.
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a major threat to public health and is an important cause of treatment failure that can be life-threatening in patients with sepsis. Antimicrobial stewardship aims to limit the development of AMR and improve patient outcomes by promoting the appropriate use of antimicrobial drugs. This session will focus on dealing with the specific challenges of prescribing antimicrobials safely and effectively in critically ill small animals.
On a per-cell basis, our patients may be more microbe than dog or cat! The nature of the bacteria that form the gastrointestinal microbiome are therefore crucial to the overall health of our patients. This session will discuss the effects of the microbiome in health, the potential roles the microbiome plays in critical illness, and the effects that our therapies have on this intestinal ecosystem.
This session will provide a practical, case-based approach to using vasopressors in emergency and critical care. Attendees will review available drug options, learn how to choose and adjust therapy at the bedside, and apply core principles of patient management through real-world scenarios designed to be interactive and clinically relevant.
This session will explore practical approaches to obtaining and handling diagnostic samples in critically ill patients, with an emphasis on maximizing diagnostic yield. Topics will include site selection in septic patients, techniques for collecting airway, blood, tissue, and fluid samples, and best practices for preparing, storing, and submitting samples to the laboratory. Attendees will gain practical tips to improve culture accuracy and optimize diagnostic information for
guiding therapy.
This session will review the latest updates from the RECOVER initiative, including key changes in the 2024 guidelines and new recommendations for newborn resuscitation. Emphasis will be placed on practical application of guideline updates in clinical settings, with discussion of how evolving evidence shapes best practices in veterinary CPR.
Hemorrhagic shock is no laughing matter. In this session, the background of the hemostatic derangements that can occur in severe hemorrhage will be reviewed. The bulk of the talk will highlight strategies to optimize resuscitation of severe hemorrhage, including commercially available products to stabilize your stocky patient.
What’s this buzz we’ve all heard about tranexamic acid? What about aminocaproic acid? In this session, we will discuss what’s known about disorders of fibrinolysis in our small animal patients. A scoping review of the literature will be synthesized and presented in order for the attendee to come away with evidence-based guidelines of when these important drugs are helpful, as well as when they could contribute to harm.
This presentation will review the key principles of pulmonary physiology and will use clinical examples to illustrate the relevance of these fundamentals to the diagnosis and management of real patients.
Immune-mediated hemolytic anemia (IMHA) and immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) are two of the most common hematologic disorders of dogs and cats. Recently, the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM) released two sets of guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of IMHA and ITP in dogs and cats. This session will use a case-based approach to illustrate application of these guidelines in the management of patients with these disorders to optimize patient outcomes.
Immune-mediated hemolytic anemia (IMHA) and immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) are two of the most common hematologic disorders of dogs and cats. Recently, the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM) released two sets of guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of IMHA and ITP in dogs and cats. This session will use a case-based approach to illustrate application of these guidelines in the management of patients with these disorders to optimize patient outcomes.
This interactive panel will present challenging infectious and inflammatory cases designed to highlight difficult decision points in patient management. Audience members will have the opportunity to vote on diagnostic and treatment choices, while panelists share their perspectives and reasoning, fostering discussion and collaborative problem-solving.