An extremely important duty of the veterinary nurse is that of assisting the surgeon in theatre. This chapter covers the nursing techniques that are necessary to be able to fulfil this role effectively, efficiently and safely.

This part of the book focuses on patient care and medical terminology whist the preceding chapter entitled Theatre Practice concentrates on the maintenance of the theatre and equipment involved. Anaesthesia is also a key subject related to surgical nursing. This has its own chapter (Part II - Chapter 3).

If you are studying this guide in the order that the chapters are numbered, you may find that some parts of several of the topics below have been covered elsewhere. References have been stated to enable you to refer back to other relevant information.

• The learning objectives of this chapter are:
• To be able to clean and dress wounds and prevent patient interference.
• To be able to treat abscesses, ulcers and haematomas under veterinary supervision.
• To be able to describe specific types of hernia and rupture.
• To be able to state common conditions of the eye and ear that may be surgically corrected.
• To understand the procedures involved in the surgical correction of common conditions of the alimentary and respiratory tracts and the urinary system.
• To recognise the importance of veterinary dentistry and be able to carry out prophylactic procedures.
• To understand general terminology used when discussing fracture repair and the procedures involved in external fixation.
• To understand the procedures involved in internal fixation.
• To understand the procedures involved in the treatment of dislocations.
• To understand the terms and definitions associated with neoplasia, and recognise the importance of cancer patient care.