By Greg Cima
Attendees of an interactive lab on laser surgery practice surgical techniques Sunday afternoon at the Washington State Convention and Trade Center. A thin puff of white smoke rises from near the tip of a blue pen-shaped laser. Eleven men and women are tightly gathered around the operating table as Dr. Barbara R. Gores, a surgeon at Veterinary Specialty Center of Tucson, Ariz., completes an incision.
Dr. Gores demonstrated on a feline cadaver how to declaw a cat using a carbon dioxide laser during a veterinary interactive lab Sunday afternoon. The 23 attendees at the beginner surgery session practiced using the lasers on bell peppers, egg yolks, chicken breasts, and feline cadavers.
During a break between the beginner and advanced laser surgery sessions, Dr. Gores said the lab sessions drive home lessons learned in morning lectures. Veterinarians can pick up new techniques they can immediately use in their practices to provide better services.
She noted that some of the veterinarians attending the labs are new to clinics offering laser surgery or they are considering buying or upgrading lasers for their own clinics.
Dr. Dawn Evert of Vancouver, Wash., who was one of 23 participants in the beginner laboratory session, said that she had just moved to a practice that has a surgical laser, and she had never used one before. The interactive lab helped reinforce the lessons she learned during a morning lecture on the subject.
Dr. Evert said she still needs practice with a laser, but "I think I'll feel more comfortable, and I understand all the settings now and what settings to use with different techniques."
Other interactive labs included lessons on rehabilitation, care of pocket pets, radiofrequency surgery, massage techniques, hip and stifle joint stabilization, cytology, neurologic examinations, emergency care, and acupuncture and acupressure.
During the lecture on radiofrequency surgery, Dr. Artist D. Elkins, a surgeon from the Veterinary Specialty Center of Indiana in Indianapolis, Ind., talked about techniques for cutting, coagulation, dissection, stopping pinpoint bleeding, and performing surgeries in delicate areas. He also told attendees how to select electrodes for surgical applications and how equipment and equipment settings can be tested on meat prior to use on live animals.
Dr. Richard Dixon, an interactive lab moderator at the laser surgery session, said the labs give the participants opportunities for real-world experiences that complement the lectures. For example, according to Dr. Gores, the laser surgery labs give veterinarians tools and options they can use with more confidence to yield better patient outcomes.
