Surgical Services

Surgery

Surgery rooms are used for laparoscopic training courses 8-10 times per year and for nonsterile functions (endoscopy, nonsurvival surgical procedures, robotic surgery training). The robotic surgery room is not used for survival procedures. Rooms are sanitized after each use. Surgeries are not scheduled on Friday to provide time for extensive cleaning and restocking of surgical suites.

The surgical facility is under the direct veterinary oversight of Gregg Goldschlager, D.V.M. The daily operation of the area is supervised by Cheryl Hargraves, B.S., R.L.A.T.G., Operating Room Supervisor. The basic provision of postoperative care is the responsibility of the CCMS veterinary medical staff. The clinical veterinarian determines the postoperative treatment plan in consultation with the investigator. Investigators are encouraged to participate in care and may be required to share in after-hours and weekend care on occasion.

Presurgical Planning

All principal investigators must meet with a CCMS veterinarian prior to performing surgery on large animals (nonrodent mammalian species). A "CCMS Surgery Questionnaire" must be completed and on file prior to scheduling surgery in the facility. This form addresses equipment needs, preoperative animal preparations, anesthesia, and potential postoperative complications.

The principal investigator must certify that each person involved in the surgery is appropriately trained and qualified to perform his or her responsibilities. Experience must be documented on the IACUC protocol form. When little or no prior experience is documented, the investigator must either work with an experienced member of his or her staff for the first several surgeries or perform pilot surgeries. Investigators who may have little or no prior surgical experience are monitored by the O.R. supervisor or one of the veterinary staff during their first several procedures. A veterinary technician is assigned to each anesthesia case and must remain with the animal from the time of induction to extubation/recovery. Large animal surgeries are scheduled one week in advance to allow for adequate preparation of supplies. The clinical veterinarian meets weekly with the O.R. technical staff to review new surgical questionnaires and ensure understanding of new procedures.

Postsurgical Actions

The responsibility for providing postoperative care to large animals lies with the CCMS veterinary medical staff and the principal investigators. Each large animal that undergoes surgery is evaluated and treated postoperatively by a trained veterinary technician under the direct supervision of the attending veterinarian. Pigs and dogs/cats are maintained in a recovery room until the attending veterinarian determines that the animal can be returned to normal housing. Monkeys and rabbits are returned to their respective housing rooms after extubation and monitored by a veterinary technician for recovery from anesthesia.

The surgical procedure is documented on the "Large Animal Master Clinical Form." A "Post-op Evaluation Form," based on a pain scale, is completed at a minimum of once daily for each large animal during the postoperative recovery period until a score of <=1 is achieved. A written "Post-op Medical Record" is maintained for each large animal that undergoes major survival surgery. When the veterinarian determines that an animal no longer requires treatment, the record is removed from the clinical rounds schedule. The postoperative records then become part of the animal's permanent medical record filed with the CCMS veterinary medical staff.