Design for surgical (suite) precision

A good surgical suite allows the veterinarian and assisting team members to focus on the patient and the procedure-not on avoiding trips, falls and bumping into each other. Fetch dvm360 conference speaker David Dycus, DVM, MS, DACVS-SA, has worked in enough operating rooms to have a few suggestions for those planning on a building or remodel project. He recently shared with us three aspects of design that deserve special consideration during planning stages.

Ample space

That sketch you're going to hand your architect features plenty of room for an operating table and some cabinets-what's the big deal? Dr. Dycus points out that experts and equipment must also inhabit the space, not to mention the guest of honor.

"It should be that we can move the patient around as needed," he says.

That also means the team should be able to maneuver accordingly, all the while navigating equipment and not getting in the surgeon's way.

Secure sterility

To cut down on the number of people coming and going and swinging doors in your surgery site, Dr. Dycus suggests planning ahead. Use your passthroughs, people, that permit the exchange of instruments and surgical materials but foster a cleaner environment.

"Having to open or close the operating door can increase chances of infection," he says.

Logical design

If you think of an electrical outlet, you probably think of a box a foot off the floor. Now think about what's going onto the floor in an operating room, Dr. Dycus says-potentially a lot of fluid from flushing out the surgery site, for example.

For that reason, he recommends outlets being positioned at waist height: "If we have cords running or electrical outlets down at floor level, we increase chances of having electrical issues."

Watch the video for more.