Align-ju SCIENCE SHORTS
Incidence of work-related injuries in veterinary professionals and students
USER-ALT Louisa Johnson and Lin Fritschi , Curtin University , Perth , Australia
Veterinary staff are potentially exposed to a wide range of occupational health risks , such as traumatic injuries , pathogenic diseases , radiation and toxic chemicals . The incidence of health and safety issues affecting veterinary surgeons ( VSs ) has been the focus of research in various countries , but there have been fewer studies looking at the impact of work-related injuries in veterinary nurses ( VNs ) and veterinary students . The authors describe a survey completed by 494 VSs , 484 VNs and 212 veterinary students in Australia . VSs and VNs received injuries such as animal bites and needle-stick injuries at similar rates . Veterinary students experienced work-related injuries more often than the other two groups . These included heat stroke , hypothermia , sunburn , electric shock , loss of consciousness , being rammed or pushed over by an animal , and injuries caused by farm equipment . The findings show that better training in occupational safety is urgently needed for veterinary students , and that VSs and VNs have suboptimal access to many important health and safety controls .
Australian Veterinary Journal https :// doi . org / 10.1111 / avj . 13354
Impact of a cell salvage device used during blood transfusions in dogs
USER-ALT Núria Comas Collgros and others , AURA Veterinary , Guildford , UK
Blood transfusions have been carried out with increasing frequency in veterinary hospitals in recent years , usually to manage patients that have lost blood due to surgery or trauma . Autologous transfusions using blood collected from the patient before surgery or salvaged and returned during the procedure have clinical safety advantages and are becoming more common . The authors report the experiences of using a commercial cell salvage device at a major referral hospital . Between 2016 and 2021 , there were 37 cases that received autologous blood and 86 that received homologous donated blood . There was an increase in autologous transfusions following the acquisition of the cell salvage device . The authors suggest that the use of these devices will result in a reduced need for outsourced blood products and will minimise the risk of adverse reactions to donated blood products .
Journal of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care https :// doi . org / 10.1111 / vec . 13403
Temperature stability in freezers used for storing biological samples
USER-ALT Jennifer Schults and others , Veterinary Rehabilitation Hospital , Cary , North Carolina , USA
In a research setting , biological samples such as plateletrich plasma are typically stored at either – 80 ° C or – 20 ° C , with continuous temperature monitoring and alarms to warn of any change . In veterinary practices , however , such samples are usually kept in a multi-use freezer that also stores ice packs and other supplies , which may result in the freezer being regularly opened . The freezer may also have an auto-defrost cycle to reduce the need for frequent maintenance . The authors used a remote monitoring system to track temperature changes in a practice freezer . It showed an increase in temperature in the freezer approximately every 16 hours , rising to above 0 ° C on 27 occasions over a 68-day period . Using Styrofoam coolers in the freezer minimised the extent of temperature fluctuations and there were no occasions when the temperature inside these rose above – 5 ° C .
American Journal of Veterinary Research https :// doi . org / 10.2460 / ajvr . 24.02.0042
Volume 39 ( 6 ) • December 2024
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