Designed for Veterinary Surgeons working in general practice, looking for an up-to-date dive into surgical emergencies.

Kindly sponsored by Johnson & Johnson MedTech.

Emergency surgery demands rapid assessment, clear decision-making and the confidence to perform essential procedures when time is critical. These cases can be nerve wracking and stressful. Having the knowledge and confidence to manage them can be challenging when they present unpredictably in the midst of a busy day of consulting.

Delivered by Dan Kenny BVSc CertAVP(GSAS) DipECVS MRCVS, this one-day CPD course is designed for Veterinary Surgeons working in general practice looking for an up-to-date dive into surgical emergencies and will help develop and refine the planning, decision making and surgical skills required to manage common life-threatening emergencies.

The course will focus on high-yield surgical emergencies including gastric dilatation-volvulus, gastrointestinal obstruction, intra-abdominal haemorrhage, urinary obstruction and thoracic emergencies, alongside additional case-based scenarios such as dystocia and caesarean section.

We will cover essential patient assessment, stabilisation and surgical decision-making before progressing into more practical decision making and techniques. All supported by up-to-date standards of care based on the current veterinary literature.

Delegates will have the opportunity to refresh and develop core surgical skills including instrument handling, needle handling, knot tying and commonly used suture patterns. There will also be the ability to test out advanced vessel sealing devices which can be invaluable in emergency surgical procedures. Additionally, we will cover practical triage and stabilisation to help provide delegates with a broad skill set to manage these cases.

Throughout the day, emphasis will be placed not simply on how to perform a procedure, but on recognising when surgery is required, prioritising the patient, anticipating intraoperative challenges and adapting the surgical plan when findings are different from those expected.

By the end of the course, delegates will be able to:

Rapidly assess and prioritise common surgical emergencies, developing an appropriate stabilisation, diagnostic and surgical plan under pressure.

Apply practical surgical techniques to life-threatening emergencies, including gastrointestinal obstruction, GDV, haemorrhage, thoracic emergencies and urinary obstruction.

Demonstrate and refine core emergency surgical skills, including instrument handling, knot tying, suturing, tissue handling, haemostasis and surgical closure.

4. Make informed intraoperative decisions and respond to complications, adapting the surgical approach according to tissue viability, haemorrhage, patient stability and unexpected findings.

Description supplied by the event organiser.