Minimally invasive surgery (MIS) is a surgical technique that uses small incisions and specialized instruments to perform surgery with less tissue damage than conventional surgery. This technique has been utilized for years in human medicine and is gaining popularity in veterinary medicine.
MIS has numerous advantages for pets, including reduced pain and scarring, faster recovery times, and a decreased risk of complications. This article will discuss five specific advantages of MIS for pets: reduced post-operative pain, quicker return to normal activities, shorter hospital stays, smaller incisions, and a reduced risk of infection.
MIS for Pets: 5 Benefits to Consider
Below are the top five advantages of having your pet undergo MIS.
Surgical Incisions Are Smaller
MIS permits surgeons to access your pet’s internal body cavities and organs without making large incisions. For instance, a traditional surgeon performing abdominal vet surgery must make a large enough incision to adequately view the surgical field, insert their hands into the body cavity, and manipulate the necessary structures.
MIS uses tiny cameras and surgical instruments inserted through small incisions to locate organs, cut tissue, and ligate vessels instead of the surgeon’s hands. This technology allows us to replace a surgical incision up to 12 inches long with a few millimeter-long incisions. Even though the entire surgical area must be shaved to create a sterile field, fewer sutures will be required to close the small incisions.
Blood Loss Reduction
The risk of surgical complications, such as hypotension and hypothermia, is increased by excessive blood loss, which surgeons avoid whenever possible. They employ precise techniques to minimize blood loss during surgery, such as strategically planning an incision’s location and ligating or cauterizing small blood vessels. When a large surgical incision is required, blood loss is unavoidable, but reducing your pet’s incision makes avoiding major blood vessels and preventing blood loss much easier. You can also visit https://www.springanimalhospital.com/site/veterinary-services-long-beach/cat-dog-routine-exams to learn more about vet services.
Less Pain
Unavoidable pain is associated with surgery, but MIS uses technology to keep your pet comfortable. Smaller incisions reduce your pet’s overall pain during and after surgery. When a large incision is required to access a body cavity, skin, muscles, and nerves are severed, causing pain.
Even though your pet is sedated and not in pain during the procedure, its body can still respond to the stimulus. They may require additional medication to remain adequately sedated. Analgesics also make your pet’s recovery as comfortable as possible.
Significantly less pain is caused by the incisions made during MIS, so your pet will be more comfortable during and after the procedure. MIS, for instance, enables surgeons to access the thoracic cavity through a small incision between the ribs instead of the painful and lengthy procedure of cutting through the sternum.
When MIS is utilized, pets typically require less pain medication and can return to normal activities, such as eating and interacting with their families, more quickly. Additionally, the incision on your pet can be closed with fewer sutures, which may not cause pain but can be itchy and uncomfortable, and the fewer, the better.
Reduced Hospitalization Time
Although vets take excellent care of your pet in the hospital, we understand that you want them to return home as soon as possible. Since there are no lengthy incisions to suture, surgical times are frequently reduced. Less time under anesthesia will likely result in a quicker recovery for your pet. Less pain, less bleeding, and less post-operative swelling can all contribute to a shorter hospital stay for pets undergoing surgery. You can also try to check out the Spring Animal Hospital homepage to learn more about what vets have to offer.
Reduced Recovery Time
For the reasons above, a smaller incision, less blood loss and pain, and fewer pain medications MIS can help your pet recover quickly and with fewer complications. Pets who undergo MIS recover faster and feel better than conventional surgery. Frequently, we must remind pet owners that their pets’ internal surgical sites are still fragile, even though their pets may appear to have recovered and feel great. Pets with shorter recuperation times may require fewer rechecks and follow-up visits.