Classification and intended use of veterinary instruments for operations and examinations

The following veterinary instruments are used in veterinary practice.

Instruments used for the examination of individual organs, as well as for therapeutic purposes.

Mouth gags for opening the mouth in cattle and horses. Used, in particular, during examination of the oral cavity and pharynx.

An esophageal probe for horses is used for introducing medication into the stomach and removing gases from it.

A mouth-esophageal probe for cattle serves the same purposes. It is also used to extract foreign bodies from the esophagus.

Record and Luer syringes with a capacity of 5 and 10 ml, Janet syringes with a capacity of 100 ml, and Provaz-Record syringes with a capacity of 5-10 ml are used for introducing medications into tissues and blood vessels through special injection needles attached to them. Syringes are also used for flushing and irrigating wounds and cavities. Currently, disposable needles are very frequently used.

Figure 26 – Syringes and needles for them: 1 – "Record" syringe; 2 – Luer; 3 – Janet; 4 – "Provaz-Record"; a – straight sharp reusable injection needles; b – Bier needle.

A trocar, consisting of a stiletto with a handle and a cannula, serves for puncturing the rumen of cattle for the purpose of removing gases.

A urinary catheter is used for examining the urethra and removing urine in horses.

Instruments for operations. Surgical knives (scalpels): pointed (1) and bellied (2).

Figure 27 – Instruments for operations: 1 – pointed scalpel; 2 – bellied scalpel; 3 – anatomical forceps; 4 – surgical forceps; 5 – Pean forceps; 6 – grooved probe; 7 – probe with a button tip; 8 – sharp spoon; 9, 10, 11 – needle holders; 12 – Cooper scissors; 13 – straight scissors; 14 – surgical needle; 15 – trocars.

Straight scissors (13) are used for cutting tissues, threads, and dressing materials.

Curved Cooper scissors (12) are used for trimming hair and during surgical operations.

Surgical forceps with sharp teeth at the ends (4) and anatomical blunt forceps (3) are used for holding tissues when applying and removing sutures, and for removing foreign objects from wounds.

Pean forceps with blunt ends (5) are for stopping bleeding. They are used to clamp or twist damaged vessels.

Grooved probes (6) and a probe with a button tip (7) are for examining tissues.

Needle holders (10 and 11) are used for holding needles when applying sutures.

Surgical needles (trihedral) straight and curved (14) are for applying sutures.

Instruments for castration. Sand's emasculating forceps (2) for fixing the spermatic cord (at the moment of its twisting) during castration.

Ligature clamps (4 and 5) for compressing the spermatic cord during castration.

An emasculator for crushing and cutting the spermatic cord during castration.

Figure 28 – Instruments for castration: 1 – Sand's emasculating forceps; 2, 3 – ligature forceps; 4, 5 – ligature clamps; 6 – screw for tightening the clamp.

Figure 29 – Hoof knives. Figure 30 – Hoof nippers.

Hoof tools. Hoof knives for removing hoof horn.

Hoof nippers for examining hooves.

Dental instruments. A dental rasp for filing down sharp teeth. Forceps for chipping off uneven teeth.

In addition, there is a large number of surgical instruments for special purposes, such as a tracheotube – a double tube that is inserted through an incision into the trachea to ensure air access to it, etc.

Rules for storage and preparation of veterinary instruments

Instruments are stored in special glass cabinets in a clean, dry room.

Rules for instrument care:

• A new, unused instrument is cleaned of vaseline with a swab moistened in gasoline.
• After use, the instrument is disassembled, washed in warm boiled water with soap, and wiped dry.
• For long-term storage, metal instruments are greased with boiled vaseline.

Before use, instruments are checked, paying attention to their completeness and suitability (sharpness of knives, scissors, needles, condition of locks, pistons, etc.), wiped, and sterilized.

The sterilized instrument is laid out (in groups) on a table covered with a sterile sheet or placed in a sterile basin. The basin is sterilized by flaming, for which its inner surface is pre-wiped with alcohol.

Characteristics of dressing and suture material

Dressing material. Most often, gauze is used as dressing material, and somewhat less frequently lignin and oakum.

• White gauze (hygroscopic) is made from purified degreased cotton threads. It is soft, elastic, absorbs liquids well (blood, inflammatory exudate, pus), and is used in the form of bandages, wipes, triangular bandages, and tampons.
• Grey gauze (non-degreased) absorbs liquids poorly and is used for reinforcing the upper layers of dressings and compresses.
• White cotton wool (hygroscopic) is made from purified degreased cotton, absorbs liquids well, and is used for absorbent dressings and in the form of tampons.
• Grey cotton wool (non-degreased) is used for warming compresses and as a padding for temporary dressings in case of bone fractures.
• Lignin (wood wool) has the appearance of thin porous sheets of paper, absorbs liquids well, and is used as a substitute for white cotton wool, but it is less elastic and less durable than cotton.
• Oakum is made from hemp or flax fibers, absorbs liquids poorly, and is used as padding in the outer layers of hoof dressings.

Suture material. Dissected tissues are joined using various sutures. Silk, cotton, and other threads, as well as catgut, are used for suturing as well as for ligating bleeding vessels.

• Silk possesses high strength, is easily sterilized, and is well-tolerated by tissues. It is manufactured as braided or twisted threads. In veterinary practice, silk sizes 4 to 8 are most commonly used.
• Cotton threads are more often used for applying superficial sutures (to skin or mucous membranes). They do not resorb within tissues.
• Catgut consists of threads up to 3-5 m in length, produced by a special process from sheep intestines; it is well resorbed by tissues and is used for sutures and ligatures applied deep within tissues.

What instruments are used for the examination of individual organs, as well as for therapeutic purposes?

What instruments are used for operations, castration, hoof trimming

Name the dressing and suture material?