The $750,000 operating suite allows for quicker recovery times for patients and provides cutting-edge training opportunities

[December 15,2011; Philadelphia, PA] – The University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine (Penn Vet) recently opened its new, state-of-the-art minimally invasive surgical suite at the Matthew J. Ryan Veterinary Hospital. The Buerger Family Foundation Surgery Suite is the first of its kind in any veterinary teaching hospital and is one of the only operating rooms in veterinary medicine that offers a comprehensive array of minimally invasive surgical procedures for companion animals. The Buerger Family Foundation named the suite with their generous gift to support the construction as well as the Minimally Invasive Shelter Animal Spay Program.

Minimally invasive surgical procedures allow for quicker recovery times, shorter hospital stays and less opportunity for post-surgery infection. Types of procedures available in the Ryan Hospital suite include:

• Arthroscopy
• Laparoscopy
• Thoracoscopy
• Interventional radiology
• Interventional endoscopy
• Minimally invasive fracture repair

Ryan Hospital’s minimally invasive surgical suite includes the KARL STROZ OR1® Integration System; the Berchtold lighting and boom system; and Covidien Electrosurgical Force Triad Unit. The integration equipment transmits information from various video and data sources and routes it to multiple locations both inside and outside the operating room. The surgical cameras, C-Arm fluoroscope, PACS, Internet images and network data can be sent to any of the six displays within the suite, as well as to a display in an observation area outside the suite.

Complete withvideo conferencing capability, surgical images can be sent anywhere, allowing true tele-medicine for real-time collaboration with referring veterinarians, sharing information with colleagues on either of Penn Vet’s campuses, or for use in the classroom. Images can be recorded as video or still images.

“We are proud to be leading the charge in these specialized procedures,” said Lillian R. Aronson, VMD, chief of surgery at Ryan Hospital. “Not only will the tools and equipment in this amazing facility allow us to better prepare the next generation of vets with these specialized skills, we will now be capable of providing our clients an option for less-invasive, less painful surgeries for their beloved pets.”

In addition to providing an option to clients, the School’s Shelter Animal Medicine Program will benefit from having access to these advanced tools so that minimally invasive spays and neuters of shelter animals can be provided.

For more information on Penn Vet, visit www.vet.upenn.edu