SURGERY
LASER SURGERY
Laser surgery is considered the cutting edge of technology, with less pain, less bleeding, and less swelling. Carter Veterinary Medical Center is proud to offer laser surgery as a more precise and less traumatic alternative to traditional surgical techniques.
ANESTHESIA
What is Anesthesia?
Anesthesia is the Greek word for "without sensation." It is a state of controlled and temporary loss of sensation and awareness for medical purposes. Regardless of the procedure being performed, the over-arching goal of general anesthesia is to have patients recover in as good of condition or better than they were prior to the anesthetic event. In order to achieve this goal, the anesthetic event should: produce unconsciousness, produce analgesia, prevent movement, facilitate the execution of the intended procedure, deliver oxygen to tissues, remove carbon dioxide from the tissues, and maintain cardiovascular health. With our strong understanding of basic physiology, pharmacology of the anesthetic drugs used, and an emphasis of the importance of diligent monitoring and prompt interventions, safe and successful outcomes are consistently achieved for our patients.
Monitoring
Monitoring patients undergoing anesthesia is essential to plan for, anticipate, and promptly treat any potential complications. Our monitoring equipment measures vital parameters, including heart rate, respiratory rate, blood pressure, oxygen saturation, pulse quality, end-tidal Carbon Dioxide, body temperature, pain response, mucous membrane color, and capillary refill time.
ADS: Anesthesia Delivery System
Our state-of-the-art anesthesia delivery system, the A.D.S. 2,000, is a computerized microprocessor anesthetic machine that monitors a patient's breathing, and electronically ventilates patients if spontaneous respiration does not occur, ultimately acting as an additional way to monitor a patient's respirations while under anesthesia. The A.D.S. 2,000 also automatically sets breathing parameters based on the patient's weight that is entered into the machine, ensuring carefully measured amounts of anesthesia are delivered to the patient at predetermined intervals. This system will calculate and display a patient's minute volume per kilogram, ensuring optimum oxygen and carbon dioxide levels, ultimately eliminating errors associated with conventional ventilation. We are proud to be able to say that our clinic is one of the only veterinary facilities in the region that utilizes this state-of-the-art piece of equipment, ensuring optimum safety every time we have an anesthetized patient.
Isoflurane
Isoflurane is a general anesthetic delivered via inhalation. Our clinic utilizes Isoflurane during our oral surgery procedures. Our routine dental procedures are normally done using sedative.
Sevoflurane
Sevoflurane is a halogenated inhalational anesthetic that is used for the induction and maintenance of general anesthesia. Our clinic utilizes sevoflurane during our surgical procedures because of its superior quality compared to other more traditional anesthetic compounds commonly used in other veterinary facilities. In fact, sevoflurane is the same anesthetic used in many Neonatal Intensive Care Units because of its superior gentleness on small, pediatric bodies. Sevoflurane is less soluble in blood and oil than isoflurane, so it takes effect and is eliminated faster. Because of this quality, sevoflurane is ideal for use in critical or fragile patients, as well as very young or old patients. Other commonly used anesthetic agents utilized in veterinary facilities, such as Ketamine and Propofol, are far more volatile in their dosing, allowing for more room for potentially dangerous side-effects on patients. Because of the plethora of overwhelmingly positive qualities of sevoflurane as an anesthetic, Dr. Carter has specifically chosen to utilize sevoflurane to anesthetize our patients to ensure the utmost safest delivery of the safest anesthetic agents to our patients as possible.
ELECTROCARDIOGRAM
What is an Electrocardiogram?
An electrocardiogram, or "EKG," is a painless test that monitors the heart's electrical activity. Every time your heart beats, an electrical signal is triggered, starting at the top of the heart and traveling to the bottom, causing the heart to pump. An EKG detects and tracks this electrical activity and produces a visualization of peaks and waves that practitioners can examine to monitor a patient's cardiac health. EKG's are an effective way to help find any underlying cardiac dysfunctions. Additionally, using a state-of-the-art digital link-up with Telemedicine, we can get expert cardiac interpretations and personal board-certified consultations as quickly as possible.
When are EKG's Used?
Just like in human medicine, EKG's are a critical component for cardiac-related healthcare. We use EKG's every day to monitor the cardiac health of our patients, allowing us to have a more complete and comprehensive picture of their cardiac activity. We perform an EKG before every invasive surgical procedure, to help ensure our pre-operative patients are free from any cardiac issues that could potentially contraindicate anesthesia and surgery. We also have our surgical patients hooked up to our EKG machine throughout the duration of our surgical procedures, which allows us to closely monitor their intraoperative cardiac activity and detect any potential cardiac irregularities.
I cannot thank you (Dr. Carter) enough for always listening to what I told you and reaching out to others for guidance, and to the rest of you at the clinic, thank you so much for your competence and compassion. All of you take extra time to explain all you do.