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Intensive Care Unit: Computerized Control

Computerized systems can now give exquisite control of breathing assistance, and many life-threatening conditions can be stabilized with an Intensive Care machine.  Technology now allows very careful control of what patients are breathing including Oxygen that is breathed in, and waste gas (Carbon Dioxide) that is breathed out.  

 

Further, an ICU machine carefully warms or cools the chamber to appropriately control body temperature, such as in cases of Heat Stroke, Hypothermia, or Shock.  In cases of extreme breathing restriction, such as an Asthma crisis, ICU machines provide carefully controlled nebulization of inhaled medications and humidity to directly treat the lungs.

Settings qive exquisite control of critical patient values specifically for your pets' condition.
Intensive Care Unit machine carefully controls oxygen, CO2, temperature, humidity, and a nebulizer for medications.

Alpine's ICU machine expands to also accommodate very large dogs comfortably.  

Unfortunately, in years past these machines were not available to Helena  and Montana veterinary patients.   Without an ICU machine, such as this one at Alpine Animal Clinic, other Montana veterinary hospitals must either refer these patients to another hospital or rely upon use of plastic oxygen tubing adhered to the nose of a patient, or place them in an enclosed container with out ability to regulate waste gas and temperature which can be very dangerous for the patient. 

 

Patients, when placed in a chamber without an actual machine to control critical levels of Oxygen, Carbon Dioxide, Temperature, and Humidification of the chamber, can quickly die of suffocation (asphyxiation) and over-heating (hyperthermia).  Thankfully, modern technology now provides ICU patients the required computerized regulation within the chamber and the ICU requires 24-hour, round-the-clock staffing.  

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Fortunately, Helena veterinary patients now have the Alpine Animal Clinic Intensive Care Unit machine to provide safe and effective Intensive Care Unit treatment, shown in the photo to the left.  Alpine Animal Clinic also has ability to staff the ICU 24-hours, round-the-clock, 365 days a year.

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Alpine Animal Clinic is available for ICU care for any patient, regardless of who your regular veterinarian may be.  Once your family member is stable and able to be hospitalized without an ICU machine, we can discharge them and provide all records to go back to your regular Helena or Montana veterinarian.

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Fortunately, Helena veterinary patients now have Alpine Animal Clinic’s Intensive Care Unit machine to provide safe and effective Critical Care to those patients suffering from ​

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  • Heart Failure

  • Asthma

  • Hemorrhaging

  • Smoke Inhalation

  • fluid in the lungs

  • Pneumonia

  • Aspiration

  • Near drowning

  • Trauma

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...as well as many other conditions that are life-threatening.  And, Alpine Animal Clinic has the ability for 24 hour round-the-clock care with dedicated medical staff.

This Heart Failure patient breathes much more easily within the Oxygen Chamber of the Intensive Care Unit machine, providing critical support while I.V. medications begin to alleviate the fluid buildup in the lungs and lower blood pressure.  Careful control of body temperature and I.V. fluid rate through a fluid pump machine gives the patient the chance it needs to recover from a life-threatening crisis.  Once recovered and stabilized on medications, the patient can be managed at home.  

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Alpine's ICU machine expands to also accommodate very large dogs comfortably.  Shown to the right is an older version of our ICU machine, and above is the newest technology available, recently upgraded at Alpine Animal Clinic... so you know you're getting the very best care available anywhere.

Intensive Care Unit Machine at Alpine Animal Clinic
Blood Transfusion after D-Con poisoning.

This 10 week old Yorkie ate a mouse that had been poisoned with DCon.  He arrived in severe respiratory distress due to hemorrhaging in to his lungs.  While undergoing blood transfusion he needed stabilization in the Oxygen Chamber of the Intensive Care Unit machine.  

 

Shown here, he is doing much better and is now able to hold his head up and has been moved to a regular Critical Care kennel.  This was a very close call for this dog and he may not have survived without an Intensive Care Unit Machine!

Strychnine patient receives round-the-clock care in the ICU.

This patient recovers from Strychnine poisoning in Intensive Care at Alpine Animal Clinic.  24 hour care is required to save these patients!  This little dog survived and did very well.

Intensive Care Unit

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  • Pneumonia

  • Poisoning

  • Heart Disease

  • Asthma

  • Heat Stroke

  • Hypothermia

  • Shock

  • Hemorrhage

  • Near-Drowning

  • Smoke Inhalation

  • Hit By Car

  • Trauma

  • Cancer

  • Electrocution

  • Dehydration

  • Starvation

  • ... and many more

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