High-volume sterilization clinics may save time and money using a pedicle tie procedure when spaying cats, according to a first-of-its-kind study. Kirk Miller, DVM, Dipl. ABVP, a clinical instructor at the Oregon State University College of Veterinary Medicine, teamed up with four other researchers to compare the feline pedicle tie (PT) to traditional pedicle double ligation (PDL). They found that PT was safe, posed a very low risk of additional bleeding and slightly reduced the patient’s anesthesia time. Surgery took about two minutes less in PT cases. “Saving two minutes may not sound like much, but when you do thousands of these procedures every year, like we do, it can add up in savings of both time and money,” said Dr. Miller, who practices with the Oregon Humane Society in Portland. “Over the course of a year this may free up about two weeks of time for both the surgeon and anesthetist. “That increased efficiency means we can serve more animals, provide the care they need and make them eligible to find new homes.” The researchers performed ovariohysterectomies using the PT technique on 2,136 cats. They determined that the pedicle tie was effective at stopping blood flow through two vessels that that go to a cat’s ovary. “It’s essentially tying the vessels in a knot, and [it] works just as well and is about 30 percent faster than a procedure used for decades that required multiple ligatures to accomplish the same purpose,” the university reported Tuesday. Teaching the PT technique to veterinarians is fairly easy, Miller said, and expertise can be gained within a week or two. The study was published in the March issue of the Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery.
