New Equipment Provides Advanced Care for UWVC Equine Patients

Two new advanced pieces of equipment, purchased with the help of generous donations, are improving the equine patient experience at UW Veterinary Care (UWVC).

With the addition of a small, flexible needle arthroscope, UWVC veterinarians can now perform arthroscopic surgery on joints while animals are under sedation rather than general anesthesia. This poses less risk for patients and also enables surgeons to view joint structures under normal anatomical circumstances (i.e., while the animal is standing), which can increase the accuracy of diagnoses.

“Other diagnostic techniques, such as ultrasound and radiography, offer a more limited view of the joint,” says Sabrina Brounts, clinical associate professor of large animal surgery, “so this new tool can definitely add to our evaluations.”

The new unit is especially useful for performing arthroscopy on the stifle, a complex hind-limb joint—basically the equivalent of the human knee—that connects the femur, patella, and tibia in four-legged mammals and is the common location of injuries in athletic horses. As an added benefit, recovery times for evaluative procedures involving the needle arthroscope are shorter than a standard arthroscopy unit. The new tool can also be used on dogs and other small mammals, but equine patients likely will be the primary beneficiaries at UWVC.

A generous donation from Chuck and Sandy Yanke, long-time supporters of the UW School of Veterinary Medicine, and a gift from the Split Rail Foundation helped the clinic purchase the arthroscopy unit, which adds to a long list of equine services that only UWVC offers in Wisconsin. This includes nuclear imaging, dynamic endoscopy for diagnosing respiratory issues during full exercise, acoustoelastography for monitoring tendon injuries, and a board-certified specialist in equine sports medicine and rehabilitation.

“I am not aware of anyone else in the state performing this arthroscopy procedure,” says Brounts.

As another boon for equine patients and owners, UWVC has also acquired a new portable electrocardiogram (ECG) machine. An ECG is used to assess the structure and function of an animal’s heart by recording its electrical activity as transmitted through electrodes placed on the skin. It can detect arrhythmias and other abnormalities and monitor the effects of various treatments. The new battery-powered unit is wireless and small enough to be strapped to a horse in a surcingle belt, allowing clinicians to monitor the animal remotely, including while it is running or walking outdoors.

“This is especially useful because many heart conditions only become apparent during exercise,” says Ana Moreira, a large animal medicine resident at UWVC.

Other advantages of the portable ECG unit include live readings transmitted to a laptop or portable device via Bluetooth technology, a memory card that can store days-worth of data, and electrodes that are fastened via stickers rather than cumbersome and uncomfortable crocodile clips.

The ECG machine was purchased with the help of a combined gift from sisters Barb and Patty Van Housen, which was inspired by the exceptional care that Patty’s horse, Rinka, received during an emergency visit to UWVC’s Morrie Waud Large Animal Hospital.

Nik Hawkins