You’re preparing a surgical kit for a feline spay. Which, if any, instrument should you sterilize? None of these instruments would be used for spay surgery.
The Correct Answer and Explanation is:
Correct Answer:
You should sterilize the instruments needed for a feline spay surgery. Even though the prompt suggests “none of these instruments would be used,” this is misleading or potentially a trick question. In reality, you must sterilize the instruments that are used in a feline spay, as it is a sterile surgical procedure.
Explanation
Spaying (ovariohysterectomy) is a major abdominal surgical procedure performed under sterile conditions to remove the ovaries and uterus of a female cat. To minimize the risk of infection and ensure the safety of the animal, it is essential that all surgical instruments used during the procedure are thoroughly cleaned, sterilized, and properly maintained.
Common instruments required for a feline spay include:
- Scalpel handle and blade: For making the initial incision.
- Thumb forceps (e.g., Adson or Brown-Adson): Used to handle tissue gently.
- Hemostats (e.g., Kelly or Crile forceps): For clamping blood vessels.
- Needle holders (e.g., Mayo-Hegar): For suturing tissue.
- Spay hook (Snook hook): Sometimes used to exteriorize the uterus or ovary.
- Scissors (e.g., Metzenbaum): For cutting tissue or sutures.
These instruments come into direct contact with the animal’s tissues and internal organs. Using non-sterile instruments would dramatically increase the risk of post-operative infection, peritonitis, or even death. Therefore, all instruments that may be used in a spay surgery must be sterilized—typically using an autoclave, which uses pressurized steam to eliminate all microbial life.
The prompt’s statement that “none of these instruments would be used for spay surgery” may be intended as a distractor or a test of your understanding. If the instruments presented truly have no relevance to a spay procedure (e.g., dental probes or orthopedic tools), then those specific instruments should not be sterilized for this procedure. However, in a real clinical setting, the correct approach is to sterilize all instruments intended for use in the specific surgical procedure—in this case, a feline spay.
