Advanced Equipment

Anchor’s surgery teams travel with cutting-edge technology in addition to our own surgical instruments, anesthesia monitors, electrocautery, and suction units.

We constantly learn about new innovations in veterinary medicine. When there is sufficient, research backed evidence of a new tool’s efficacy, we try it out, incorporate it into our practice if we see good results, and then recommend it to our primary care partners.

Long-acting local anesthetic

NOCITA® is liposome encapsulated bupivacaine that can be administered during surgery to control post-op pain for up to 72 hours. Using Nocita enables less opioid use, meaning less opioid-related side effects like dysphoria. Nocita has made many of our surgery patients comfortable enough to go home later that same day.

Bipolar Vessel Sealing Device

The VOYANT® cuts and seals at the same time while minimizing tissue trauma. Comparable to the Ligasure but with advantages for the veterinary field.

It tests electrical impedance many times per second delivering the precise amount of energy necessary to completely seal a blood vessel. This results in less blood loss, less inflammation, shorter anesthesia time, and more rapid patient recovery.

We use the Voyant for splenectomy and other abdominal surgeries, brachycephalic airway surgery, amputations, and more.

Mobile arthroscopy system

The mi-eye® needle scope is a minimally invasive device that allows us to evaluate joints and perform certain interventions without creating large incisions or destabilizing the joint with large arthrotomies. Its camera provides very high resolution and illumination, allowing visualization of even the toughest to see areas within joints!

Platelet-Rich Plasma therapy (PRP)

PRP therapy is a form of regenerative medicine that uses a concentration of a patient’s own platelets to reduce the pain and inflammation of osteoarthritis. PRP is also used quite often in human sports medicine to accelerate healing in athletes.

We use Arthrex’s ACP® (Autologous Conditioned Plasma) system to administer PRP. A blood sample is separated via centrifuge and the plasma is then injected into a painful joint. We commonly apply PRP therapy into arthritic joints at time of surgery in another location to help with the post-op recovery period (eg. at time of knee surgery, administering PRP therapy for arthritic hips, contralateral knee or elbows).

Hemostatic gel

Bleeding happens in surgery and we are equipped with an arsenal of strategies to resolve hemorrhaging. As a safety precaution, our teams carry VETIGEL®, which can help stop excessive bleeding in seconds.

VETIGEL is a sterile, biodegradable, adhesive hemostatic gel composed of plant-based polymers, which supports the natural clotting process. Dr. Kahn helped VETIGEL’s Brooklyn-based manufacturer Cresilon with early development of the product in a laboratory setting for use in veterinary surgery. The product is currently being developed for use in human medicine.

Autoclave & Plasma Sterilization

For efficiency and to minimize disruption to our partnering hospitals’ daily routine, we sterilize all of our equipment at Anchor Headquarters.

Both Anchor HQs are equipped with spacious Tuttnauer™ EZ11 Plus autoclaves.

For delicate items like the Voyant handpieces, Mi-Eye arthroscopy cameras, and cautery pens, each HQ also has a STERLINK® Hydrogen Peroxide Gas Plasma Sterilizer. This is a low temperature, environmentally friendly alternative to Ethylene Oxide sterilization.

The Anchormobile

When you hear “mobile surgery” you might imagine surgery happening in a RV motorhome like the one seen in the HBO series Breaking Bad…

For Anchor, “mobile” means traveling all over NYC to perform surgery in the sterile operating rooms of primary care hospitals. Both surgery teams drive Mazda CX-5 SUVs, which have enough room for 3 team members and equipment for 4-5 surgeries. Commuting and parking in NYC can be a challenge in itself, but The Anchormobile serves us well.