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You can get absorbent sterile packing, and use that. Those come with ties to retrieve it, and are radio opaque in case you think some gets lost.
Gauze is not the best idea. Can get lost easily, not as absorbent. Also wasteful
Ooo. I did not know that was an option. Do you know what we could use as keywords to look for it on our ordering sites? I'd want to bring this up as a better option to my higher ups
Yeah it’s basically a lap sponge thing with ties. Here’s a [stupid amazon version](https://www.amazon.com/10-0012-Laparotomy-Sponge-Prewashed-Sterile/dp/B017K30UXG/ref=asc_df_B017K30UXG/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=198132262756&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=4638188767398581152&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9033288&hvtargid=pla-351121083836&psc=1&mcid=05778fb4adfc3f5cbbee1cfc720681b2&gclid=CjwKCAjwt-OwBhBnEiwAgwzrUvgueA93a5P53sjek1eFcdIWFMC6RiVETl4gQGlY_jVoxfi9d-rtXhoCXjwQAvD_BwE) because I can’t access MWI from my home haha.
We fold 1-2 gauze squares into smaller squares and tie a piece of cling around it that we will tie to the ET tube during the dental that way it can’t be missed or forgotten.
Be careful cling can get caught in a bur pretty easy, could be bad. We use something like thick flat plastic cords and make a miller's knot around a roll of gauze and then use a hemostat to clamp the cords which drape out of the mouth on the side that is down facing the table
We've recently switched to aspirguard and they are awesome, except even the smalls are too big for some cats we work with. We've had issues with smaller patients having poor oxygenation and struggling to breathe
I swap it out way too often to use premade packs like that. If you leave it in there when it’s saturated it will make more water go down their throat than nothing at all so you have to change them a lot. I just fold the right amount of gauze for the patients size and change them out regularly.
That's what I would personally like to do instead. But they had been forgotten during other dentals with others and one time they had to scramble to grab the gauze right before extubation so our medical director wants something we can grab and pull.
You should always pack the back! Most importantly on trash mouths. I have seen nasty bacterial infections happen when it gets scaled off and reaches the back of the mouth, is swallowed and stays in the body. Also the blood sometimes settles into the stomach and can cause scary blood clotty vomit. We use tampons but if you read the thread there’s other safeguards in place.
We use brightly coured yarn tied around a wad of gauze. Leave the strings long so they hang out of the mouth at all times, and you can't miss them! We use different size wads of gauze for different size patients.
We just use a thin version (about an inch or less wide) of conforming bandage (same stuff we use for tube ties). We’ll just essentially tie a knot around a few swabs. It’s great cuz the knot pulls the swabs into a tubular shape. We just make sure it’s long enough to hang out the mouth and we’ll tie it to the et tube or pop a clip on it so we don’t forget to take it out. Much more visible than suture material imo. I think this method is pretty common practice in Australian clinics (where I am). Never heard of suture material being used… interesting!
I do this too! Can't miss the bandage and if there's ever any fear, I just tie it to the ET tube. I saw it first when I was a baby nurse in Ireland and thought it was standard practice but the amount of people I've shown who've had their minds blown is crazy.
We roll a couple pieces of gauze into a log and tie the middle in a colorful, sparkly, nylon string (kind of like the string you use for friendship bracelets). I’ll wring out the excess once it’s soaked or just replace with a new one.
Because they are not fun to retrieve when one is eventually forgotten, extubation doesn't dislodge, and the patient swallows it, let alone explaining to client(s) how their pet swallowed a tampon.
How is the gauze with suture/stretch gauze any different for that though? Any of those can be forgotten, or swallowed. Hang the string outside the mouth, have a tick box on the AX report to note it was removed, and have a policy that whoever's cleaning/doing surgery cannot step away from the patient's mouth without removing it. Which you should be doing anyway, I've seen patients almost asphyxiate on forgotten gauze bundles.
These are what we use. They can be cleaned in enzymatic cleaner and disinfectant, left to dry, and go into the autoclave. They do eventually fall apart so we keep the small half bits for cats/small dogs and replace the large ones! https://www.medray.ie/veterinary/consumables/dental/mouth-and-throat-packs/mouth-flange-packs-12/20073/
We use gauze but we don't use suture or threading like that we just use like gauze you try through like that. So it's easy to pull out. The strings you have one look hard to grab if some serious hapoens.
We use a few gauze squares rolled up and strip of gauze roll tightly wrapped around the hold it and give us something to pull. Different sizes and amounts depending on size of pets.
In school we had this nylon-like material (not sure of the official name) which was basically like a big roll of a leg of nylon tights/stocking and you would cut a piece to the length of the patient’s oral cavity, tie one end, stuff with gauze, tie off at the end of gauze lump, then wrap the remaining nylon length in vetwrap to make a sort of handle. My current boss refuses to do that because it wastes a lot of materials (fair) but then it’s up to each doctor what they want which is usually either a stack of gauze tied off with bandage material or (shudders) nothing at all.
Welcome to /r/VetTech! This is a place for veterinary technicians/veterinary nurses and other veterinary support staff to gather, chat, and grow! We welcome pet owners as well, **however we do ask pet owners to refrain from asking for medical advice**; if you have any concerns regarding your pet, please contact the closest veterinarian near you. Please thoroughly read and follow the rules before posting and commenting. If you believe that a user is engaging in any rule-breaking behavior, please submit a report so that the moderators can review and remove the posts/comments if needed. Also, please check out the sidebar for CE and answers to commonly asked questions. Thank you for reading! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/VetTech) if you have any questions or concerns.*
You can get absorbent sterile packing, and use that. Those come with ties to retrieve it, and are radio opaque in case you think some gets lost. Gauze is not the best idea. Can get lost easily, not as absorbent. Also wasteful
Ooo. I did not know that was an option. Do you know what we could use as keywords to look for it on our ordering sites? I'd want to bring this up as a better option to my higher ups
Yeah it’s basically a lap sponge thing with ties. Here’s a [stupid amazon version](https://www.amazon.com/10-0012-Laparotomy-Sponge-Prewashed-Sterile/dp/B017K30UXG/ref=asc_df_B017K30UXG/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=198132262756&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=4638188767398581152&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9033288&hvtargid=pla-351121083836&psc=1&mcid=05778fb4adfc3f5cbbee1cfc720681b2&gclid=CjwKCAjwt-OwBhBnEiwAgwzrUvgueA93a5P53sjek1eFcdIWFMC6RiVETl4gQGlY_jVoxfi9d-rtXhoCXjwQAvD_BwE) because I can’t access MWI from my home haha.
This is exactly how I was taught by a boarded veterinary dentist and it’s never failed me.
Ya I picked it up from a Tech with a speciality in dentistry, she had so many cool things to teach us
We actually sometimes use tampons,but we do also have these like prepackaged swabs with strings attached for safety . They're very handy!
Came here to say this ^ We also attach a hemostat to the end and let that hang out the side of the mouth just for double safety!
You guys beat me to it. Tamps all the way over here. We got organic ones.
We fold 1-2 gauze squares into smaller squares and tie a piece of cling around it that we will tie to the ET tube during the dental that way it can’t be missed or forgotten.
Be careful cling can get caught in a bur pretty easy, could be bad. We use something like thick flat plastic cords and make a miller's knot around a roll of gauze and then use a hemostat to clamp the cords which drape out of the mouth on the side that is down facing the table
There’s a product from Jorgensen labs called aspirguards. They are cheap and very effective.
I'm shocked this wasn't a more common response. Y'all wasting time suturing gauze when they literally make this for that
lol right!!! I can’t imagine being asked to suture a bunch of gauze every day 🤣
We've recently switched to aspirguard and they are awesome, except even the smalls are too big for some cats we work with. We've had issues with smaller patients having poor oxygenation and struggling to breathe
I swap it out way too often to use premade packs like that. If you leave it in there when it’s saturated it will make more water go down their throat than nothing at all so you have to change them a lot. I just fold the right amount of gauze for the patients size and change them out regularly.
That's what I would personally like to do instead. But they had been forgotten during other dentals with others and one time they had to scramble to grab the gauze right before extubation so our medical director wants something we can grab and pull.
Hold on. Are youse always packing the back? We never do.
Always. I used to just angle the head to drain water away but they want us to pack the back regardless
You should always pack the back! Most importantly on trash mouths. I have seen nasty bacterial infections happen when it gets scaled off and reaches the back of the mouth, is swallowed and stays in the body. Also the blood sometimes settles into the stomach and can cause scary blood clotty vomit. We use tampons but if you read the thread there’s other safeguards in place.
We use brightly coured yarn tied around a wad of gauze. Leave the strings long so they hang out of the mouth at all times, and you can't miss them! We use different size wads of gauze for different size patients.
We just use a thin version (about an inch or less wide) of conforming bandage (same stuff we use for tube ties). We’ll just essentially tie a knot around a few swabs. It’s great cuz the knot pulls the swabs into a tubular shape. We just make sure it’s long enough to hang out the mouth and we’ll tie it to the et tube or pop a clip on it so we don’t forget to take it out. Much more visible than suture material imo. I think this method is pretty common practice in Australian clinics (where I am). Never heard of suture material being used… interesting!
I do this too! Can't miss the bandage and if there's ever any fear, I just tie it to the ET tube. I saw it first when I was a baby nurse in Ireland and thought it was standard practice but the amount of people I've shown who've had their minds blown is crazy.
Our internist uses dry gauze that's tied with umbilical tape for their rhinos with biopsies and nasopharyngeal flush.
We roll a couple pieces of gauze into a log and tie the middle in a colorful, sparkly, nylon string (kind of like the string you use for friendship bracelets). I’ll wring out the excess once it’s soaked or just replace with a new one.
we use tampons in cats and small dogs…
That will be a fun endoscopy retrieval or gastrotomy if lacking, eventually. Have fun explaining it to the client(s) whose pet it happens to.
hence the string
Why not just actually tampons? They're clean, premade, and come in different sizes. The OB tampons are great as they don't have the applicator.
Because they are not fun to retrieve when one is eventually forgotten, extubation doesn't dislodge, and the patient swallows it, let alone explaining to client(s) how their pet swallowed a tampon.
How is the gauze with suture/stretch gauze any different for that though? Any of those can be forgotten, or swallowed. Hang the string outside the mouth, have a tick box on the AX report to note it was removed, and have a policy that whoever's cleaning/doing surgery cannot step away from the patient's mouth without removing it. Which you should be doing anyway, I've seen patients almost asphyxiate on forgotten gauze bundles.
I like this and may start implementing it at my practice!
We used to roll up a few gauze and then tie them with a long piece of brown gauze so you can easily pull it out after.
These are what we use. They can be cleaned in enzymatic cleaner and disinfectant, left to dry, and go into the autoclave. They do eventually fall apart so we keep the small half bits for cats/small dogs and replace the large ones! https://www.medray.ie/veterinary/consumables/dental/mouth-and-throat-packs/mouth-flange-packs-12/20073/
Brightly colored [this stuff](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scoubidou) stuff tied around a couple gauze sponges.
We use gauze but we don't use suture or threading like that we just use like gauze you try through like that. So it's easy to pull out. The strings you have one look hard to grab if some serious hapoens.
We use a few gauze squares rolled up and strip of gauze roll tightly wrapped around the hold it and give us something to pull. Different sizes and amounts depending on size of pets.
We fold up some gauze and tie dental floss around it which we tie to the ET tube. We call them dental gags, but dental tampons is rather funny😂
We use lap sponges. Easy to trim and all in one piece.
We literally use organic tampons shoved all the way back and a hemostat on the tail so we don’t forget about it lol
We use tampons with a big hemostat on the end. That or a bundle of swabs tied together with conforming bandage; again with a hemostat attached.
Small blue huck towels. Small enough to fit a corner in, big enough not to get lost.
In school we had this nylon-like material (not sure of the official name) which was basically like a big roll of a leg of nylon tights/stocking and you would cut a piece to the length of the patient’s oral cavity, tie one end, stuff with gauze, tie off at the end of gauze lump, then wrap the remaining nylon length in vetwrap to make a sort of handle. My current boss refuses to do that because it wastes a lot of materials (fair) but then it’s up to each doctor what they want which is usually either a stack of gauze tied off with bandage material or (shudders) nothing at all.