Operating Theatre

Operating Suite

Our operating theatre is a large, purpose-built room containing a special operating table which can be adapted to position the patient optimally for the surgical procedure underway. Two adjoining padded rooms permit the safe induction and recovery from general anaesthesia and allow a continuous throughput of patients where necessary. The entire area is run to exemplary hygiene standards.

Surgical procedures

The operating room is designed for both elective and emergency surgery and, having in-theatre computerised radiography, a full complement of ASIF equipment for fracture repair and state-of-the-art arthroscopy, is ideally placed for all orthopaedic surgery.

Our soft tissue caseload is extensive, but includes horses requiring upper airway surgery, castration, ovariectomy and of course, the surgical colic, for which specialised intestinal stapling equipment is sometimes used.

Anaesthesia

One of our partners, Andrew Harrison, has a special interest and postgraduate RCVS Certification in Anaesthesia and heads this discipline within the practice. We are therefore confident that our anaesthesia experience and equipment are second to none.

Horses under general anaesthesia receive careful monitoring, which includes continuous measurement of blood pressure and cardiac activity. Where needed, breathing can be controlled artificially using a mechanical ventilator.

At the end of surgery, horses are moved to a padded box using an electrical hoist, where monitoring continues until recovery is complete.