✨This holiday season we pause to reflect on what we are most grateful for here at MVS. We spend our days here, not because we have to, but because we choose to. Here are just of few of the many things that motivate us…. ✨
🐈⬛ Meet Ralfie, a 6-month-old, furry feline that presented for a routine neuter. Ralfie had a history of a pneumothorax (air in his chest) from an unknown cause approximately 1 month prior. X-rays of his chest were performed prior to anesthesia to ensure he had healed fully before his procedure. His chest x-rays were concerning for a condition known as a diaphragmatic hernia.
What is a diaphragm?
• A body has two major compartments that contain organs, the chest and abdomen. The diaphragm is a strong muscle that separates these two compartments. It also aids in each and every breath taken.
What is a diaphragmatic hernia?
•A diaphragmatic hernia is a disruption in the muscle allowing abdominal organs to migrate into the chest cavity. The hernia can be large or small and is frequently secondary to a traumatic event. However, it can also be congenital (something you are born with).
Is a diaphragmatic hernia an emergency?
•Diaphragmatic hernias can be emergent. The abdominal organs ultimately decrease the space the lungs have to inflate. This decreases the patient’s ability to breathe, intake oxygen, and exhale carbon dioxide. As a result, the patient’s breathing will become short and rapid, often with an extended head and neck posture. If the hernia is small, it can create a tourniquet effect compromising blood flow to the displaced organs. Which may require removal of these compromised abdominal organs. However, some patients tolerate the displaced organs and show little to no clinical signs.
How do you treat a diaphragmatic hernia?
•The only treatment is surgery. During surgery, the abdominal cavity is opened and the abdominal contents are gently removed from the chest cavity. This allows closure of the muscular defect with suture material. All of the displaced abdominal organs are then evaluated. If the organs are healthy, then the abdomen is closed. Additional surgery may be performed if any tissues are deemed to be unhealthy. Sweet Ralf
✨ Join us in Congratulating Sam Connor - October Employee of the Month! ✨
Sam has been with MVS for 5 years and we can’t imagine our Ophthalmology department without her. Here are a few things her coworkers had to say about her…
“Sam is the reason our department runs so smoothly. She is always there when you have questions or need help perfecting a skill you’re trying to learn. She is always happy, even when things seem like they’re on fire around us. I definitely couldn’t imagine Ophtho without Sam. She’s at the peak of the mountain and holds us all together. She absolutely deserves recognition for all her hard work. We love Sam!❤️”.
“Sam is the best! She goes above and beyond to provide the best care for our Ophthalmology patients. Sam provides a positive impact in our department. It has been a joy to work and learn from her”.
“She’s the snow capped peak that holds this mountain top together.”
“Sam is so sweet and very helpful.”
“She always has a smile on her face and is always pleasant and positive. She does her job well and does not cause any issues.”
“Sam is always a team player and is always ready to help others. She is great at communication and is always kind.”
“Always nice and willing to help ❤️”
“Shows up early, stays late, conscientious, follows all new rules, knows when to ask for help.”
Congratulations Sam!! Keep doing what you do!!
♥️🐾 We have had a lot of fun over the past two weekends volunteering at the Vet Tech Workshops held at the Humane Society of Memphis & Shelby County. These workshops offer young people in middle school and high school the chance to learn about veterinary medicine and related careers through a multifaceted approach. If you have a child who is interested in veterinary medicine, consider enrolling them in the next Vet Tech Workshop. It’s a great experience! 🐾♥️
⭐️🩺🐾This team of technicians have three distinct roles within their department, ensuring the highest level of medical care to each patient they see.
The first technician role is intake nurse. They are the first face our clients and their pets see. A large part of this role is facilitating communication between the client and the surgery team. They input medical notes, assist in bandage changes, radiographs, and ICU treatments.
The second technician role is scrub nurse. Their primary responsibilities include, assisting with radiographs, preparing g the patient for surgery with shaving sterilization of incision area, intubation and recovery of patient as well as ordering implants for surgery patients.
The third technician role within our surgery department is the anesthesia nurse. They assist with radiographs, and CT’s, with their primary responsibility being to remain with the pet from intubation to recovery, monitoring the pet the entire time it is under anesthesia. They also help ER ICU with patient care as needed.
Our surgery department see’s both routine and emergency cases and are often transferred cases from other departments. Due to the nature of medical emergencies, both the scrub and anesthesia nurse’s maintain an on-call schedule for emergency surgeries.
We are grateful to this all star team for their dedication and commitment! ❤️💫
🚨🐾🩺 Emergency veterinary technicians are typically the first to asses pets when they arrive for emergency services. At the doctors direction, ER techs perform the diagnostic tests required to figure out what’s going on with a pet during a crisis, they also administer medications, IV fluids, and may assist in the placement of feeding tubes and catheters. ER techs regularly assist doctors during emergency procedures by preparing the patient, cleaning and sterilizing the equipment, taking blood, and monitoring vitals.
Not everyone can handle seeing seriously injured, or sick animals. ER technicians have the ability to remain calm under stress, responding quickly and efficiently to requests from the doctor during critical moments. ER techs also possess strong interpersonal skills. Arriving at the ER is stressful for pets and their owners. Families are often fearful of losing pets at emergency vets. Our vet techs understand this, working with empathy and understanding.
Without ER techs, we would not be able to provide Memphis and surrounding communities with 24 hour emergency care every day of the year. This means our ER techs are here working overnight, on holidays, and like first responders and medical professionals in human health care, they are routinely scheduled 12 hour shifts. They do all this so pets in our community can receive emergency care whenever it is needed. Because of these techs love for animal medicine, countless pets lives are saved each year. Please join us in celebrating these remarkable veterinary technicians! ♥️
🐾♥️This ladies man warmed the hearts of everyone he met during his stay at MVS. Elton presented to the our ER department for acute onset lethargy, regurgitation, and abdominal pain. Dr. Henson worked quickly to assess Elton’s condition and implemented a treatment plan to successfully stabilize him.
Once stabilized, Dr. Henson transferred Elton to our Internal Medicine department. Dr. Bayliss performed advanced imaging and cytology confirming Elton was suffering from a septic abdomen.
An emergency laparotomy (exploratory abdominal surgery) was then performed by Dr. Stokes and her team. The laparotomy revealed a duodenal perforation (tear in the small intestine).
After Dr. Stokes successfully repaired the tear, Elton remained hospitalized for several more days. Each day Elton’s loving family came to visit and spend time with Elton. Thanks to their dedication to Elton’s health and the quick actions of our multi-disciplinary team of specialists, Elton is back home living his best life!
Interventional Endoscopy
🩺🐾 When our Internal Medicine team uses the scope to “fix” things, we call it interventional endoscopy.
Here is an example of one of the many ways interventional endoscopy is used at MVS.
In this case, our feline patient was struggling to breathe normally due to scar tissue buildup in its nasopharynx - or space just behind the nose.
Figure A. This image is an example of what a healthy cat’s nasopharynx normally looks like.
Figure B. This is Dr. Bayliss’s patient. The patient’s nasopharynx had scar tissue narrowing the airway to the point that it could barely move any air through.
Figure C. The video clip shows a tiny rubber catheter, just a few millimeters in diameter, being passed through the narrow opening. Dr. Bayliss used this tube to place a flexible wire in the opening and then passed a balloon over that wire to dilate and open the strictured/narrow area.
Figure D. This is the result of the procedure. The patients nasopharynx was immediately resembles its original state prior to scar tissue build up. As you can see, the opening is much much wider and there are two circles visible. These circles are the back of the nasal passages.
Following this procedure, the patient was able to breathe normally! We are so grateful that many of our patients have advanced, minimally invasive options for treatment thanks to Dr. Bayliss and her team. 🐈⬛♥️
