Emma Donnelly, Dan Lewis, Laura Conroy and Charlotte Johnston look at the three components of the first stage of assessing patients, as well as the more common conditions that cause dysfunction in these systems.

Nicola Bates and Nicola Robinson offer practical advice for first opinion practitioners – including history taking, decontamination and referring cases.

Radu Scortea and Toby Gemmill detail how to approach these types of injuries in small animal patients.

Having described how to perform this examination in part one, Gerardo Poli explains how to interpret the results in a clinical setting.

Gerardo Poli provides an introduction to performing and interpreting these examinations. Includes video content.

In the final part of this series, Gerardo Poli focuses on the use of hypertonic saline and mannitol in reducing cerebral oedema, and offers some pointers on how to choose between them.

Daniela Murgia details methods of handling this condition, referencing the primary and secondary surveys of patient trauma.

Nicola Bates discusses how to approach poisoned patient cases to determine appropriate decontamination and further treatment.

Rachel Hattersley provides guidance on assessing and managing these types of skin injuries.

Kayleigh Walsh spotlights the care and processes needed to treat this emergency case successfully.

John Williams reports on a case where a border terrier was presented at an emergency hospital and how diagnosis was made.

Systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) is an exaggerated inflammatory condition that can start from a local source, yet becomes widely systemic.

Lisa Weeth considers the reasons for patients having a lack of appetite and examines the support options available.