Idea Exchange: Prevent rearward licking with a backward collar August 1, 2008

In order to prevent Maggie--a large-breed dog, from licking the wounded area, her owners reversed the Elizabethan collar.

Surgery STAT: Tracheal collapse: rings or stents? August 1, 2008 By: Chick Weisse, VMD, Dipl. ACVS

Editor's note: SurgerySTAT is a collaborative column between the American College of Veterinary Surgeons (ACVS) and DVM Newsmagazine. In September, Shawn Mattson, DVM, DVSc, BSc will discuss "Treating Subchondral Bone Cysts in the Fetlock Joint." Dr. Mattson is an ACVS board-certified surgeon who practices at Moore and Company Veterinary Services, a full-service equine hospital in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Dr. Mattson, previously at the Ontario Veterinary College in Guelph, Ontario, has published scientific articles in the American Journal of Veterinary Research and Veterinary Surgery related to research on orthopedic infections in horses.

Postsurgical pain management: Take a pre-emptive approach July 1, 2008 By: Robert M. Stein, DVM, Dipl. AAPM, Stephanie Ortel, BS, LVT, CCRP

While this review will focus on postoperative pain management, it is important that we acknowledge the critical perioperative elements that lay the foundation for ideal patient pain management. Pain control needs to be in place before the surgeon's blade contacts skin in order to minimize central and peripheral sensitization. Without adequate pre-emptive analgesia, the nociceptive process ramps up unabated by general anesthesia. Receptor sensitivity increases and structural rewiring can occur.

Surgery STAT: Don't forget the Miller's knot July 1, 2008 By: Robert J. Hardie, DVM, Dipl. ACVS, Dipl. ECVS

Ligating the ovarian pedicles during an ovariohysterectomy in a large or obese dog can be a challenging task, especially if the ovarian pedicles are thick or surrounded by excessive adipose tissue that is not easily incorporated into simple encircling ligatures.

Idea Exchange: A simple way to keep a surgical site hair-free June 1, 2008

To keep the surgical area free of hair when castrating cats, I cut a small diamond-shaped hole in the middle of a green rubber dental dam and place the dam over the surgically prepared testicles.

ACVS Surgery STAT: Tips for reducing the pain of amputations in dogs June 1, 2008 By: Sarah Boston, DVM, DVSc, Dipl. ACVS

Amputation is a painful procedure, so aggressive, multimodal analgesia is necessary. The patient should receive a premedication that includes a pure mu agonist opioid such as morphine, fentanyl, oxymorphone or hydromorphone.

Three beneficial reconstructive surgery techniques--the adjustable horizontal mattress suture, the mesh skin graft, and punch grafts in pockets--are underused by practitioners. These techniques require no special equipment and are easily accomplished.

Rethink respirators May 7, 2008 By: Phil Seibert, CVT

Should our pregnant associate use a respirator during surgeries to avoid inhaling anesthetic gases?

Stem-cell therapy shows promise for horse soft-tissue injury, disease May 1, 2008 By: Ed Kane, PhD

While interest and controversy swirl around stem-cell use for treating human spinal-chord injuries and diseases ranging from diabetes to Parkinson's, veterinary medicine has been investigating stem-cell use for a variety of animal conditions and diseases.