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274 Tasks for the Veterinary Assistant

chlorhexidine surgical scrub with index finger and
thumb. Bring the other three corners up to the fingers
until you have all four between index finger and thumb
(Figure 14.40). This will keep your fingers from contact-
ing the patient’s skin as you scrub.
Start the scrub over the incision site, scrubbing the
gauze over the area in a back and forth pattern for a total
of 7–10 times. Then work out overlapping the area
scrubbed by a 25–75% ratio: 25% previously scrubbed
area with a 75% covering new areas. Most patterns end
up being in a rectangle shape especially on the abdomen
but not always. Continue to scrub the entire shaved area.
This is creating a sterile field and we now have to be care-
ful not to reach across this area or to touch it with
anything that is not sterile. Rinse the scrubbed area with
either a spray hose set on gentle or with sterile water‐
soaked gauze sponges working from the incision site out-
ward. Use more than one gauze sponge if you need to in
order to remove the surgical scrub from the skin. Repeat
this scrub two more times. Then either spray or wipe the
surgical area with alcohol.

Peri‐Surgical Phase

At this point the patient is moved to the surgery room.
Extreme care is taken; to not contaminate the scrubbed
surgical site, to keep the patient as level as possible,
FIGURE 14.38 Blood pressure cuffs. and not to lose the endotracheal tube! This usually
requires two people and if the patient is large the use
of a gurney is recommended. The patient is transferred
TABLE 14.2 to the surgical table and secured to it with ropes. The
Frequent Surgical Procedures and Body ropes are placed upon the limbs using the loop formed
Position Required for the Procedure by the rope and then a half hitch further down on the
leg (see Figure 9.35). The rope is then brought either
Surgery – with definition Body position
over the edge or over the end of the table and secured
Ovariohysterectomy – removal of the Ventral – dorsal to a cleat (see Figure 9.36) or if there are pinch levers
entire reproductive tract the rope is brought between the rubber stoppers
Common name – spay
(Figure 14.1d). Once the patient is secured to the
Orchidectomy – removal of testicles Ventral – dorsal table, the surgical site is either sprayed with povidone
Common name – neuter or castration
iodine solution or it is swabbed on with sterile gauze
Pyometra – infection of the uterus Ventral – dorsal sponges held by a sponge holder.
Common name – pyo
The surgical lights are turned on and adjusted to
Caesarean section – removal of Ventral – dorsal shine on the surgical site. The surgical table can be
fetuses because of dystocia issues raised or lowered by turning the handle on the base and
Common name – C‐section
stepping on the foot pedal (Figure 14.1b). Step and
Tail docking – dewclaw removal Held however it press down to lower, and pump the step to raise the
works for surgeon
table. Extreme care must be taken not to touch or reach
Onychectomy – removal of distal Lateral over the surgical site because this is our first sterile field.
phalanges recumbency In the surgical environment, sterile objects must remain
Common name – declaw
sterile and surgical sites and personnel must remain
“clean” whereas objects that are no longer or never have
patient is scrubbed for surgery and before the surgical been sterile are considered contaminated or “dirty.”
personnel scrubs for surgery. These two things must not connect in any way. In order
To scrub the patient, start by grasping a corner of the to keep track of what is sterile and what is clean, sterile
gauze sponge soaked in either povidone iodine or in fields and zones are established.