This week we speak to Dr. Tony Kahn, who has a mobile veterinary surgery company based in Brooklyn called Anchor Veterinary Surgery.

How long have you been using VETIGEL^®, and in how many procedures have you used it?

"I’ve been using VETIGEL^® since it first became available, and worked with Cresilon in the early days of the product. I have used it in over 100 procedures and it’s my first choice hemostatic product. This many years later I use VETIGEL^® because I think it works, not because I worked with Cresilon pre-launch. While I can’t claim to have contributed much to product development beyond surgical hand skills, I do feel a sliver of pride for the product it has become. I guess that’s my conflict of interest statement!”

What do you like about VETIGEL^®?

"Firstly, and simply, because it works. It has both adhesive and cohesive properties which is what enables me to use it in hard to access or sloped locations. There’s a bulk to it that you don’t have with powders and foams, so if I apply it somewhere deep, it doesn’t just float back up to me on a tide of blood." 

Tell me about some of the procedures you’ve found benefited from the use of VETIGEL^®:

"The soft tissue stuff, as you’d expect, like liver and splenic biopsies or lacerations. I’ve been surprised to find it useful in some orthopedic surgeries, like TPLOs and fractures. Prior to figuring out how to use VETIGEL^® for TPLO surgeries, I had to do what everyone did if they transected the popliteal artery: dissect down to it and staple/ligate/zap it. Access, volume, and pressure all limited or precluded use of the foams and powders.

VETIGEL has enabled me to treat inaccessible bleeds. Saves a ton of time, surgeon angst, and patient blood! Repairing old, partially healed fractures in the mobile surgery environment can be quite challenging. One of the headaches is poor visibility, partially because of OR lighting, but also because fracture calluses ooze A LOT when disturbed.

A smear of VETIGEL^® across the surface and a minute of toe tapping solves the problem, ultimately making my surgery take less time (not to mention the frustration avoided—just ask my techs!)I have also used it for enucleations. It has a great role in spays, as with a dropped pedicle. That is essentially the same scenario as my TPLO bleed above, where exposure is a challenge and you need the product to just stay where you put it, which is great when teaching young doctors."

What else can you tell me about your use of VETIGEL^®?

"I usually flush it out after use. I rarely find a need to leave it in as the fibrin patch forms quickly, so I remove the bulk of it before closing. Same as I do with temporary fixation pins or screws for fracture repairs. Look, surgery is stressful, and many doctors are dissuaded from pursuing it due fear of complications, all the terrible “what ifs.” If having the security of some VETIGEL^® in case of disaster is what it takes to get over that psychological hump, I say there’s value right there."

You have clearly had a lot of experience with VETIGEL^®; what other areas do you think it should be considered for?

"I’ll be interested to see its efficacy in patients with coagulopathies. A lot of greyhounds/sighthounds have prolonged clotting times and can develop some horrid post-operative complications. If successful, I think planned use of VETIGEL^® could be really beneficial in these dogs. I’d sure be more apt to tackle such cases in a primary care hospital!"

Would you recommend VETIGEL^® to other veterinarians?

"Yes, definitely. I already do. My LOUDLY stated goal is to help as many veterinarians achieve success in surgery, so as to collectively help as many patients as we can! And VETIGEL^® is one of the things I’ve identified that can help lower those barriers.”

Have a testimonial and want to be featured?

Reach out to education@vetigel.com. We love hearing about your VETIGEL cases and gaining more insight on we impact your practice.