Arthroscopic
Surgery 3:13
This horse came to Cornell for surgery to remove bone chips from his hock joint. When he arrives, the patient's medical history is taken and information is gathered, which includes his vital signs, heart rate, pulse, temperature, and blood work. We check for anemia, the presence or lack of infection, and other factors...
The anesthesia and surgical staff hoist the anesthesized horse onto a surgical table equipped with an inflatable air mattress. This keeps the horse on his back - many arthroscopic procedures are done with the horse positioned in this manner. The surgical site gets a sterile preparation, which includes clipping, scrubbing, and covering with an impervious drape impregnated with iodine. This drape is needed because the skin can be a source of contamination.
The joint is distended to help guide the arthroscope. One hand directs the scope while the other holds the instrument to curette the cartilage, removing the bone fragments and scraping away abnormal, fibrillated cartilage. Finally, the surgical site is bandaged with more impervious drape, and the horse is lifted into the thickly padded recovery stall. He's made comfortable, and left in the darkened stall, watched carefully with a low-light camera. He'll need a little help with his first few steps. Then the bandages come off and he has a good night's rest before going home the next morning.
Dr. Norm Ducharme
