TechnologyandVeterinaryMedicine

TechnologyandVeterinaryMedicine
CalebVargas
LeeHighSchool

TechnologyandVeterinaryMedicine

CalebVargas
PeterFoote
SeniorCapstone
April18,2016

Technologyhasalwaysbeenanimportantaspectofveterinarymedicine.As
technologicaladvancementshavebeenmadeinmedicine,sohaveadvancementsinthefieldof
veterinarymedicine.Byimprovingtechnologyinthefieldofveterinarymedicinediagnosisof
ailmentsandproblemscanbefasterandtreatmentoptionsandprocedureswillbeimproved.
Technologyassistsveterinariansbyhelpingthemtoproperlydiagnoseailmentsandconditions
aswellashelpingtotreatanimals.
Thereareavarietyoftoolsandinstrumentsthatveterinariansusetobenefittheirpatients.
OneofthemostimportanttypesofequipmentthatthevetsuseisMRI.
AnMRIisapieceof
techthathelpsvetsexaminepartsoftheanimalinordertooperateananimalcorrectlyanddo
othersimilarthings.

MagneticResonanceImaging(MRIorMR)isthemostadvanced
diagnosticimagingtoolavailable(TexasA&M,2011).
AnMRIusesamagneticfieldandradio
wavestocreateimagesoftheorgansandtissuesoftheanimal.
VeterinariansarenowMRIsto
looksandexaminethebrainsofanimals.
AndnowwithMRIavetisabletolookinsideofan
animal.Thisissothatthevetmakessurethatnothinggoeswrongduringsurgery.Technology
increasesabilitywithsurgeryandotherprocedures(Bishop,2016).
MRIisalsousedtolookat
theteethoftheanimal,andalsotolookatsofttissueItisalsousedfor
examiningtheskeletons,
includingbones,tendonsandjointsoftheanimal.

TechnologyandVeterinaryMedicine

Ultrasoundisanotherimportantpieceoftechthatavetusestomakeprocedureslike
surgerymucheasierandmoreefficient.Ultrasoundisdefinedamethodusedbyveterinarianto
produceimagesoftheinsideofabody.Oneadvantageisthatanultrasoundisagreatpieceof
technology,verycheap,andeasytouse.Foranultrasoundtoworkitisnotrequiredforthe
animaltobestill.Thereforeanestheticsarenotneeded.Notonlyisitusedtolookatmothers
wombduringpregnancyitisalsousedtocreatea3Dimageoftheanimalsheart.Ultrasound,
thesametechnologyusedtogeneratesonogramsduringhumanpregnancy,usessoundwaves
transmittedintothebodytocreateanimage(Sullivan,2015).Anotheradvantageisthat
ultrasoundhasnosideeffects.Itisalsousedtolookinsideofananimal.Forexampleifan
animalswallowssomethingthentheultrasoundisusedtolocatetheobjectandgetitout.
Thereforeultrasoundisacheapandeasywaytolookintotheinsideofananimal.
Anotherwaythatavetcanlookintotheinsideofananimaliscalledlaparoscopy.
Laparoscopyisaprocedurethatusesasmallcameraandalightsourceinsertedintoabdominal
orthoraciccavityinordertoseeinsidethebody.Thistypeofprocedureislesstraumaticthan
surgeryandhelpsproduceaclearimage(Sechen,2014).Laparoscopysurgeryintheabdomen
areperformedwithsmallcutsatalengthof0.5to1.5centimeters.Thekeyelementwhendoing
laparoscopyisthelaparoscopeattachedtoacameraandlightsource.Beforeputtingthe
laparoscopeinsidetheabdomen.Theabdomenisinflatedlikeaballoonwithcarbondioxidegas.
Thisishowaveterinarianuseslaparoscopytotreatananimal.
Largeanimalslikeahorseneedspecialcarefortheirbonesandthistypeoftechhelps
vetstakecareoflargeranimals.Thoroughbredracehorsesareatariskofbonefailure.Inorder
tostopsomethinglikethisfromhappening,researchershavedevelopedawayofdetectingsonic

TechnologyandVeterinaryMedicine

wavesthatthemicrofissuresproduce.Thereforeitisagoodthingtodetectsomethinglikethis
totakecareofbones.Thistypeoftechnologyisusedtodetectearthquakes,butnowitisusedto
detectcracksinahorse'sbone."Whenamicrocrackoccursinaboneitgeneratessoundwaves
similartothosecreatedbyearthquakes(Akkus,2008).Injuriesliketheseinhorsesarebutstill
remainaconcerntothehorseowners.
3Dprintingistalkedaboutalotintoday'sworld.3Dprintingisaprocessformakinga
physicalobjectfromathreedimensionaldigitalmodel.Thisprocessisnowbeingusedin
veterinarypracticestoprintoutanimalbonestructuresfrominformationgatheredfrom
computedtomographyscans.Wecannowproduceaprintedbonewithin24hoursoftheCT
scan(Dyce,2015).Thisnowenablesveterinarianstoandsurgeonstoseethepatient'sinternal
bonestructureandmuscularstructurebeforegoingintotheoperatingparts.The3Dprintings
alsohelpvetseducatepetownersintheanatomyandphysiologyoftheirpets.Vetsarenow
abletoeducatepetownersandfuturevetsonthebonestructureofananimal(Bishop,2016).
Alsowith3Dprintingitmakesiteasierforvetstoeasilyareplicaoflikeadogskull.The
modelsthatcomeoutofthe3Dprinterscouldhelpvetsfullyunderstandandpracticesurgical
procedures.
Veterinariansalsodosomethingcalledanestheticmonitoring,andtheyusedifferent
typesofmachinestomonitorratesofsorts.Onemachineiscalledtheelectrocardiogram.The
electrocardiogramsisusedtoshowheartratesanddetectabnormalities.Anothertypeoftechthat
theyuseisapulseoximeter.Thismachinehelpsusseethepatient'spulserateandbloodoxygen
level.TheyalsouseaCO2monitorthattellsthevetthelevelofcarbondioxideexhaledbythe

TechnologyandVeterinaryMedicine

animal.Theyalsomonitorthebloodpressure,bycheckingtheanimalssystolicanddiastolic
pressure.Vetsalsoliketouseatemperatureprobethatshowsthepatient'sbodytemperature.
Technologyhasbecomeveryhelpfultovetsinmanyways.Theyusetechnologyto
monitorbloodpressureandsometimestolookinsideoftheanimal.Technologyhasalsohelped
vetsdosurgerycorrectly.Technologyhasallowedvetstolookintheinsideoftheanimals.They
useprocedurescalledMRI,ultrasoundandlaparoscopyinordertotreatananimal.Theylookto
seewhatiswrongwithananimalbylookinginsideofananimal.Therearedifferentmachines
thatdoverydifferentthings.Andthevetsuseothermachinestomonitorbloodpressureand
showtheheartrateofananimal.Whenaskingavetaboutwhattypeoftechtheyusetheylisted
machinessuchasXrays,bloodmachines.AsWellasdentistrytechtoshowradiographsofan
animal'smouth.Withoutthehelpourpetswouldbeingreaterdangerofbeingexposedto
diseasesthatwillaffecttheirlives,butnowthankstotechnologyanimalscanlivelongerand
vetshaveaneasierjob.

TechnologyandVeterinaryMedicine

WorkCited
Baillie,K.(2015).3DPrintingforVeterinarySurgeries.
UPenn
RetrievedFromhttp://www.upenn.edu/spotlights/3dprintingveterinarysurgeries
CarringtonCollege.(2014).TheNewestAdvancesinVeterinaryTechnology.
Carrington
RetrievedFrom
http://carrington.edu/blog/veterinary/newestadvancesveterinarytechnology/
CollegeofVetMedicine.(2016).CSUattheForefrontofDevelopingNewVetLaparoscopy
Techniques.
ColoradoStateUniversity
RetrievedFrom
http://csucvmbs.colostate.edu/pages/minimallyinvasivesurgerynewlaparoscopy.aspx
Giese,M.(2015).UltrasoundHasManyUses.
CollegeofVeterinaryMedicine
RetrievedFrom`
http://vetmed.illinois.edu/pet_column/ultrasoundmanyusesveterinarycare/
MayoClinic.(2013).MRI.
MayoClinic
RetrievedFrom
http://carrington.edu/blog/veterinary/newestadvancesveterinarytechnology/
Sequin,C.(2008).NewTechCouldHelpPreventFracturesinHorses.
Purdue

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RetrievedFromhttp://www.purdue.edu/uns/x/2008a/080604AkkusFracture.html
Troiano,C.(2015).WhatTypesofTechnologydoVetsUse.
eHow
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http://www.ehow.com/list_6821556_typestechnologydoveterinariansuse_.html#close