Surgical assisting responsibilities of the veterinary technologist

What you should do before surgery

Eat

daily shower

keep nails short and clean

no fragrances

clean scrubs

lights on

heating devices on

unwrap sterile instruments

Proper surgical attire

clean scrubs tucked in shirt and drawstrings

surgical cap

mask

shoecovers

no cellphones or pagers

When should your scrub start?

◦Your scrub should start after the animal has been clipped, prepped, moved to the surgery room, and is positioned

open gloving should not be used for

routine surgical gloving

used mostly when only the hands need to be sterile

open gloving

name times to use open gloving

minor procedures

bon marrow biopsy

catheterizations

◦Provides assurance against contamination because bare skin is not exposed

◦Preferred method for surgical procedures

closed gloving

◦Used if a glove is contaminated during surgery

assisted gloving

If you are scrubbing in and gowning up, you will be performing

closed gloving

responsibilities of the tech in surgery

◦Maintaining sterile environment

◦

◦Monitoring patient

◦

◦Managing instrument table

◦

◦Passing proper instruments

◦

◦Maintaining tissues (retraction/moistened)

◦

◦Maintain hemostasis

You want to make sure that as you are arranging the instruments on the surgery table, you count the instruments and sponges ____ OPENING THE BODY CAVITY

BEFORE

You will also count the instruments and sponges ____ CLOSING THE BODY CAVITY

BEFORE

maintaining sterile environment

continual monitoring of sterile field

handling sterile instruments

passing them

sterile light covers

never use what to heat patients

heating pads

retained surgical sponge

Gossypiboma

Gossypium

cotton

Boma

place of concealment

◦Ring handles closest to the

surgeon

tissue handling

delicate

non traumatic - lap pads under retractors

retracting tissues

self retaining

manual

stay sutures

moisture of tissue

lavage surgical field

blot dry not rub

Lap pads under the retractors act as a

cushion to alleviate excessive pressure on the tissues and help keep tissues moist

Usually, an -_____ solution is used as a lavage, sometimes an _____ may be added to the solution as well

isotonic, antibiotic

ways to maintain homeostasis

laparotomy sponges and 4x4s

cautery (monopolar and bipolar)

suction

Laparotomy sponges hemostasis

blot not rub

3x3s - 6 mls of blood

4x4 absorbs 10 mls of blood

laparotomy sponges - 100 mls of blood

describe monopolar cautery

ground plate placed under patient current passes through patient toward ground plate

sufficient contact

saline

gel

never alcohol (burns or fire)

describe bipolar cautery

current passes from one tip to another

no grounding plate

3 procedures suction is used in

abdominal procedures

orthopedic

neurologic

types of suction tips

Poole, frazier, yankauer

used to remove large volumes of liquid/fluid ( end has many holes)

poole

poole

used mostly in ortho and neuro surgeries (small tip)

frasier

Frasier

general purpose suction tip

Yankauer

Yankauer