Manchester Veterinary Specialists celebrate 15 years of experience
Specialist-led orthopaedics team welcomes 300th total hip replacement case
Hospital using evolving techniques and orthopaedic surgeries to treat patients - including new cementless total hip replacements
Manchester Veterinary Specialists (MVS) orthopaedic surgeons Ben Keeley and Steve Bright are celebrating 15 years of qualified specialist experience as a team.
Together, the two specialists - supported by a long-serving team of one ECVS residency trained surgeon, a specialist-led anaesthesia team of three, twelve nurses and two surgical technicians - have just welcomed their 300th total hip replacement case through their door.
Opening in 2017, the experienced team at the single-discipline centre is using an increased number of evolving techniques and orthopaedic surgeries to treat their patients.
This includes providing an increased number of total hip replacements, using the cementless BioMedtrix BFX® Universal and the newly developed Small Breed systems. The cementless implants are secured by a ‘press fit’, where bone grows into pores in the implant’s surface for permanent fixation. Over time, this avoids both the debris and inflammation that can be associated with the fragmentation and loosening of cement used in cemented total hip replacements.
Ben and Steve are also using their collective experience to take a more in depth look into patellar luxation corrective surgery. In the past, it has been considered that many dogs simply need realignment of muscle-mass. Whereas, MVS’ increased use of CT scanning during cases has revealed that a significant number of patients actually have a primary deformity in the femur and/or tibia. As a result, corrective femoral and or tibial osteotomy surgery has been conducted, giving a more predictable outcome.
In other areas, the team is using evolving practices to treat its patients. This includes Orthobiologics, where platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections are being administered to animals’ joints to stimulate healing responses to a variety of orthopaedic conditions, including those that tend to heal poorly on their own. It also comprises of Perioperative and Intraoperative C-arm Fluoroscopy, where Ben and Steve are using real-time imaging during surgery to improve fracture management techniques and to give more accurate implant positioning for stabilisation.
Steve and Ben said:
“We’ve both been conducting hip replacements since 2009, coming together to open MVS specialist orthopaedic veterinary centre in 2017. Our 15 years of experience together, along with our nurses’ 100 years of collective experience and our dedicated team of anaesthetists, means we’ve got a really strong team who are very keen to stay at the forefront of orthopaedic veterinary developments.
Over this time we’ve seen a progressive increase in our total case load and a much broader spectrum of patients. For example, we’re now seeing many younger patients - some as young as seven months of age - requiring surgeries such as hip replacements, alongside the more typical older patients. There’s also been huge advances in orthopaedic medicine, some of which has transferred from breakthroughs in human medicine. So we’ve done a lot of research and training, invested in our facilities and are working closely with drug and equipment manufacturers to offer the best possible treatment and care to our patients.”
Opening in 2017 and based on the outskirts of the city, Manchester Veterinary Specialists is a dedicated companion animal orthopaedic referral centre. With a team of over twenty, including two specialist orthopaedic veterinary surgeons, the hospital offers total hip replacements, patellar luxation corrective surgery, fracture repair, arthroscopy, tibial plateau levelling osteotomy, angular limb deformity corrective surgery and arthrodesis services.
As a bespoke site, the hospital is equipped with the best facilities and equipment to allow the clinicians to manage cases to the best of their ability. This includes a modern theatre suite with two operating theatres equipped with climate control, state-of-the-art monitoring and anaesthesia facilities, a recovery ward with one-to-one patient monitoring, a digital radiology suite, a Siemens 16 slice CT scanner, a fluoroscopic extremities C-arm - facilitating minimally invasive surgery, and high definition arthroscopy equipment. All of which provide their referring vets with peace of mind that their patients are in expert hands.