CO2 Surgical Laser

Advantages

There are several advantages to the CO₂ laser surgery:

1. Pain Reduction

Your pet will experience significantly less post operative pain in almost every instance. As a matter of fact, the pain reduction is so great that we perform declaws on cats only with a laser beam. This reduction in pain is a result of the unique characteristics of the laser beam as it cuts nerve endings, preventing the raw ends that are characteristic of scalpel blades.  It also eliminates the need for tourinquets during surgery and bandages after surgery.

2. Swelling Reduction

Whenever an incision is made in tissue with either a scalpel blade or scissors inflammation is started in the affected tissue. This inflammation is a result of interaction with the circulatory and lymphatic systems. Because the laser beam effectively cauterizes the lymphatic system there is much less post operative swelling. This makes your pet much more comfortable while it is convalescing from surgery.

3. Control of Infection

The laser beam operates at a temperature of over 200 degrees Fahrenheit. This makes it highly effective at killing bacteria that have the potential to cause an infection. This is particularly important in areas where it is difficult to prevent bacteria from contaminating the surgical site. Examples include abscesses and cat declaws.

4. Minimal Surgical Bleeding

When an incision is made with a scalpel blade small blood vessels are cut in the skin and the layer of tissue just under the skin. These blood vessels can ooze throughout the surgery and even postoperatively. Traditionally they are taken care of by clamping them with hemostats, cauterizing, or holding gauze sponges on them until they stop. All of these procedures take time, which means the surgery takes longer and there is more post operatively swelling. The laser beam is a highly effective coagulator of small blood vessels. With less bleeding during surgery, this means less anesthetic time and faster recovery time.  The laser is especially useful in oral surgery, growth removals, and amputations of small extremities/digits such as cat declaws. We also use it in small animals, especially birds, because of the laser's great effectiveness at minimizing bleeding.

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