AAHA Standards: MA41 and SX14.1

We have chosen two separate standards to highlight today:

MA41: Practice team members within the sterile field during major surgery wear proper attire including:
•    Disposable caps and masks, or reusable caps and masks that are laundered before use
•    Sterile disposable gowns, or cloth gowns that are laundered and sterilized before each use

SX14.1: Practice team members in the surgical suite wear shoe covers and/or dedicated surgery shoes.

The first, MA41, is a mandatory standard for accreditation.  AAHA has additional standards that are completely voluntary; SX14.1 is one of those.  West Ridge Animal Hospital adheres to both of the above.  To us, proper surgical attire is just plain common sense and anything less is incomprehensible. 

All personnel involved in an actual surgery wear a cap, mask, gloves, gown and booties, which are donned after a thorough hand and forearm scrubbing with special soap.  These measures are followed to ensure sterility in the surgical suite, in an effort to prevent post-surgical infection. 

AAHA Standards: DE02c

In the days leading up to this year's accreditation renewal with the American Animal Hospital Association, we will be highlighting some of the standards we must uphold.  Here's today's:

"DE02c: Dental services provided include Radiography"

Here at West Ridge, our dental services don't just "include" radiography, we take full mouth radiographs on every dental procedure.  Why?  Teeth are very similar to icebergs in that the majority of the tooth is hidden under the surface of the gum.  It is not uncommon to go into what looks like a routine procedure, only to find through x-rays that a root is bad and must be extracted.  Not only would a diseased tooth root be extremely painful, but the inflammation and bacteria involved can also cause many issues throughout the body.