Major and Minor Surgery

With any surgery comes 2 risks. Firstly the risk from general anaesthesia, and secondly the risk of complications from the surgery itself.

The anaesthetic risk we minimise in the following ways:

1. A careful clinical examination beforehand to assess cardiac and circulatory function.
2. Pre-anaesthetic blood tests to check the kidney and liver function, so that we know the animal can metabolise the anaesthetic drugs as expected.
3. Use of sophisticated anaesthetic monitoring equipment so that we can intervene early if complications arise and correct them.
4. Giving the minimum amount of anaesthetic drugs required to provide good, stable anaesthesia and smooth recovery.
5. Skilled use of a modern gas anaesthetic machine with the appropriate circuit for the animal in question.
6. Close monitoring of the patient on recovery from anaesthesia.

The surgical risk we minimise in the following ways:

1. Familiarity of the surgeon with the procedure in question.
2. Availability of a second surgeon to 'scrub in' and help out with the surgery if necessary.
3. Use of appropriate and high quality instruments and consumables (suture material, suture patterns, implants etc).
4. Sterility of the operating environment.
5. Sterility of the surgical instruments, drapes and gowns via appropriate autoclaving.

Close attention to the above risk factors ensures that avoidable complications are prevented wherever possible.