With great fanfare, the Schwarzman Animal Medical Center held a “leash cutting” ceremony to mark the grand opening of the Denise and Michael Kellen Institute for Surgical Care. The press release describes 7,000 square feet of newly constructed surgery space with five operating rooms, a minor procedure room, and an anesthesia recovery area that separates feline patients from canine patients. The photos show a gathering of happy veterinary surgeons alongside grateful patients and hospital supporters. But what does the 7,000-square-foot addition mean for your pet?

Every AMC patient benefits from AMC’s tripartite mission of compassionate care, clinical research and training for the next generation of veterinarians. The new Surgery Institute supports all three aspects of our mission, which I’ll discuss in today’s blogpost.

How Our New Surgical Institute Supports Compassionate Care

AMC’s previous surgery facility, tucked into the 61^st Steet corner of the second floor of the hospital, was puny in comparison to the new space. I was lucky enough to get a tour of the new space before it officially opened and was overwhelmed by its size. The main hallway leading to the operating rooms extends from the 62^nd Street side of the building almost completely to 61st Street. A whole block of surgery space!

More space allows us to provide more compassionate care. For example, we now have designated recovery rooms for dogs and cats, making recovery easier for everyone. Previously, AMC had only one recovery room shared by dogs and cats.

How Our New Surgical Institute Supports Clinical Research

Johns Hopkins University defines clinical research as the comprehensive study of the safety and effectiveness of the most promising advances in patient care. AMC surgeons have a long history of clinical research such as early descriptions of procedures to treat bloat in dogs, bladder stones associated with liver shunts and cruciate ligament repair. A recent AMC surgery publication details the use of medical glue to correct abnormal blood vessels. This research extends to recovery too, helping owners and veterinarians better navigate recovery from surgery to repair cruciate ligaments. The new Surgical Institute facility provides better opportunities to continue AMC’s legacy of contributing to new knowledge and improved care.

How Our New Surgical Institute Supports Teaching the Next Generation of Veterinarians

The new Surgical Institute’s increased footprint and design efficiencies has obvious benefits for our teaching programs. More space means more surgical procedures, more room in the operating rooms for more trainees and more room for equipment. Our state-of-the-art operating rooms are fully integrated. This improves teaching because the ORs have screens to display the biopsies, x-rays, CT scans or MRIs of the patient undergoing surgery. There are also cameras over each operating table. The surgical procedure can be observed on the screen in the OR, watched elsewhere in the hospital or transmitted to remote sites allowing veterinarians elsewhere to benefit from AMC’s clinical expertise and large, varied case load. The spacious ORs allow room for x-ray machines to be stationed in each room. Pets no longer have to move to the diagnostic imaging suite for an x-ray to make sure all bladder stones are removed or the bone plate is properly positioned. This all models good clinical practice for AMC interns and residents. More well-trained veterinarians means better care for pets everywhere.

There is a lot to celebrate at AMC this week.

Hear What AMC Surgeons Have to Say About Moving to the New Surgical Institute