Laser Surgery has been recognized in human medicine for its clinical benefits to both patient and surgeon for over 20 years. The technology however was considered too advanced and expensive for community veterinarians until now !
What is a laser? Laser is an acronym for Light Amplification by the Stimulated Emission of Radiation. A laser is a device that generates an intense beam of light at a specific wavelength that can cut, seal or vaporize tissue.
How does a laser work? A laser is an intense beam of light. This light energy instantly vaporizes the water found in tissues, allowing it to "cut" or essentially remove an extremely small area of tissue. The energy seals nerve endings and blood vessels as it moves through the tissue, resulting in less bleeding, less pain and virtually no trauma to surrounding tissue.
Why choose laser surgery for your pet ?
Reduced Pain - The CO2 laser beam seals nerve endings as it incises through tissue. This ultimately reduces the amount of pain that an animal feels during and after surgery.
Reduced Bleeding - When making an incision, the CO2 laser beam cauterizes and seals blood vessels up to 1mm in diameter. This laser energy achieves homeostasis and not only does this benefit the patient, it also provides a clear, dry surgical field for the surgeon. Without the bleeding, which continually obstructs the surgical field, the overall procedure time is decreased.
Reduced Swelling - CO2 laser energy seals lymphatic vessels. Also, because only a beam of invisible light contacts the tissue, there is no bruising or tearing of tissue. This reduced tissue trauma minimizes inflammatory responses, reducing swelling.
Reduced Infection - The laser energy acts as an antimicrobial/antibacterial agent by producing high temperatures, effectively eliminating microorganisms.
Laser procedures reduce the
trauma to your pet, improve healing, and may shorten time spent in the
veterinary hospital.
Recommended Procedures for Laser Surgery: declaw, spay, neuter, tumor removal, skin tags, cyst removal, soft palate procedures, gingival and dental surgery ............... and much more.
Declaws
This is a particularly prevalent request for people that keep their cats indoors. Prior to the introduction of the carbon dioxide laser all declaws were done with a scalpel blade. It is a very precise surgical procedure that Dr. Golbeck has performed hundreds of times. Unfortunately, the post operative period was painful, the feet were bandaged, and most cats had to stay in the hospital for several days. On older cats this surgery was even harder on the pet.
The advent of declaws with the laser surgery has substantially minimized these drawbacks. There is usually no bleeding during the surgery so a tourniquet is no longer used. Most of them can even go home the day of surgery but we prefer to keep them for observation over night. Most cats have so little pain or discomfort they are jumping and running before nature has had time to complete the healing process.
In many cases, laser surgery can be extremely beneficial over traditional surgery. Call us for further information !
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