We are very proud of our clean operating theatre. It is completely lined in wipe down plastic (to remove any crack and crannies in which bacteria can hide) and holds three tables.
In these pictures the theatre is set up for a Caesarian Section (the grey box is a miniature incubator for puppies/ kittens).
Each table has its own anaesthetic machine and a dedicated bright theatre light. The room is kept very warm as patient heat loss is a major problem in surgery. To help prevent problems, we also have heat pads and patient warm air warmers – the latter are superb as they take up little space and keep patients warm and dry without the risk of burning.
Naturally we have a range of monitoring devices including pulse oximetry (measuring blood oxygen) and two capnographs (monitoring lung function). The picture shows one of our patient monitors- this one combines capnography with an ECG to assess heart rhythm.
This room also holds our endoscopy unit. The rigid endoscopes are held in cold sterilisation on one trolley while the other large trolley holds our video endoscopy stack – screen, camera, recording device and light sources for different scopes as well as an insufflator for laparoscopic surgery. Video endoscopy adds a whole new dimension to this technique as it gives the operator a much larger image and makes it much more comfortable to perform! In addition, it enables us to record procedures which we can provide for you afterwards as well enabling us to compare results on repeated scopings.