Page 3 - Clinical Connections - Summer 2024

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

Turbulence or Dynamism anaemia and normalisation of her white blood
s I write this, much of the extensive cell count and morphology.
building work on the Hawkshead Page five features a cat who had regularly
A Campus is coming to its conclusion donated to our Blood Donor Programme
and the sun is shining on some gleaming ultimately benefiting from his own plasma. Leo
white walls. The Hawkshead development had been sleeping more than usual, eating
project, which was slowed somewhat by the poorly and struggling to breathe. Pus was found
global pandemic, has given us a chance to in his chest cavity and CT identified abscesses
reflect on how far the RVC has come. in his lungs, meaning surgery was indicated.
Some of our country’s academic During surgery Leo required plasma and the
institutions are so old that it might seem Transfusion Medicine Team were able to use
like an inevitability that they would have Leo’s own plasma.
thrived and grown through the centuries. The centre pages is based upon an interview
That, however, is not the case; the mighty Harvard University’s with Dan Brockman, about progress within the Cardiothoracic
veterinary school, which was established in 1882, only survived Surgery Service. The RVNs in that team play a number of critical
two decades. roles, spanning ICU work, communication with owners, patient
Universities require investment to survive and thrive. They also co-ordination and theatre nursing. In the article Dan talks about
need to attract not just bright and dedicated students but also the value of the same person observing at the dog multiple times
devoted staff who are responsive to the realities of a turbulent a day, which allows them to pick up on subtle changes.
external world. Dan also talks about the development of Matteo Rossanese
Vets, veterinary nurses and veterinary scientists are by nature as a surgeon also working on mitral valve cases. This, along with
and training curious and adaptable people and our teams across other team members, has enabled more dogs to receive this
the RVC share those characteristics. I know it is the same across highly specialised treatment by the team.
the veterinary sector, where not only does each patient’s clinical On page eight Joe Fenn and Chris Scudder discuss the
condition have to be considered but the reality of the complex productive relationship between hypophysectomy surgery
world outside the consultation room is ever present. and research at the RVC. The UK’s first successful feline
One person’s turbulence is another person’s dynamism, and hypophysectomy surgery, in 2012 at the RVC, treated a cat with
external factors, – especially in relation to the needs of animals, hypersomatotropism and diabetes mellitus. Since then the team
their owners and society – encouraged the veterinary professions has been following the progress of patients closely, which has
to emerge and develop. From the need to tackle rinderpest, enabled groundbreaking clinical research and paved the way for
leading to the emergence of the veterinary college in Lyon, to new treatments.
changes in how and why (and which) animals are kept, to the Members of the pathology team discuss the usefulness of
endless evolution of diseases and treatments to keep us on our immunohistochemistry in surgical oncopathology on page nine.
toes, we have always had to learn and adapt. This is a very complex area but extremely relevant to vets
As a profession we grow together and often this is across everywhere. As the authors point out, life expectancy of animals
international boundaries. You will have hopefully read our front increases as veterinary care evolves and this means cancer
page article about RVC colleagues working with specialists prevalence increases. Accurate early diagnosis of cancer is
overseas to offer advanced training in small animal nephrology challenging due to the multifactorial origin and many faces of the
and urology. The American College of Veterinary Nephrology and disease, underlining the importance of diagnostic pathology.
Urology is of great value to the many cats and dogs requiring this Last but definitely not least, page ten features the case of a
expertise and those clinicians who seeking to develop expertise dog called Worm. The article is authored by Holly Smith, who is
in this important and complex area. not just our Head Neurology and Rehabilitation RVN but Worm’s
The article on page four, by Clara Mattavelli, an Emergency owner. Like many of our patients, Worm went through different
and Critical Care Resident, is concerned with a complex case stages of disease and recovery and benefited from medical
involving a stick ingestion, diaphragmatic tear, a septic abdomen, treatment, hemilaminectomy, physiotherapy, hydrotherapy and
pyothorax and immuno-mediated haemolytic anaemia. The K-laser treatment.
whippet puppy, Daphne, went for periodical rechecks at her local
practice and blood tests showed a progressive resolution of her Amanda Boag, Vice Principal (Clinical Services)

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