The brand new Evidensia Veterinary Hospital in Gothenburg, Sweden, is almost like a pediatric hospital. The focus on using the latest technology to perform highly specialized operations is the same. And so is the attention toward making the four-legged patients and their owners feel as safe, secure, and at home as possible.
Clinic designed for the treatment of animals
Not many buildings hosting veterinary hospitals are in fact built for that specific purpose. So, when the Evidensia leadership group, looking for new locations suitable for the expanding Evidensia Veterinary Hospital in Sweden’s second largest city had the opportunity to not only move but also to build a completely new hospital from the ground up, they were excited.
“We had a unique chance, and we took it,” says Anders Jarlborg, CEO of Evidensia Gothenburg. “Our new hospital is fundamentally designed for the treatment and care of animals, mainly cats and dogs. We have specially designed operating rooms where our specialists use top-level technical equipment from GE Healthcare and others. At the same time, we have been very focused on securing the right logistics and the right flow of patients in the building, not only for practical reasons but also to make our patients relax and feel as comfortable as possible.”
“In some ways, our hospital works under conditions similar to those in pediatric clinics. Just like there is focus on both children and their parents in pediatric care units, we do not forget the owners of our patients.”
Anders Jarlborg, CEO, Evidensia Gothenburg
Making the animals feel calm
Unlike human patients, it’s not possible to explain and prepare a cat or a dog for what’s going to happen in a hospital, why they suddenly find themselves in an unfamiliar place surrounded by complete strangers. That is why a veterinary hospital needs to find ways to be especially welcoming to reduce anxiety and fear. For this reason, sound insulation and quiet acoustics have played an important role in the construction of the new Evidensia Veterinary Hospital. Also, the cats and dogs are largely kept separated from each other, in the outpatient clinic as well as in the ward section, intensive care unit, and in surgery. Jarlborg, who has in the past worked as an operations manager in hospitals for humans, explains:
“In some ways, our hospital works under conditions similar to those in pediatric clinics. Just like there is focus on both children and their parents in pediatric care units, we do not forget the owners of our patients. The strong bond between an animal and its owner is of great importance. For the animal, the overall experience of the treatment and care is entirely emotionally based, while the owner can also add rational aspects. We need to be sensitive to the needs and feelings of both.”
One of the new rooms at Evidensia Veterinary Hospital in Gothenborg with the anesthesia system, Carestation 600 Series from GE Healthcare.
The importance of having reasonably calm patients is experienced firsthand by Mikael Golicz, chief anesthesiologist at the hospital:
“We do a number of different types of surgery and treatments, such as advanced laser and minimal invasive surgery, orthopedics, oncology, dermatology, odontology as well as eye surgery. It is vital to ensure a safe and calm environment for an animal that does not understand what they are going through and that they wake up pain-free and secure instead of scared out of their mind. A scared animal can also be a dangerous animal, and you just don’t want that. It does not matter if I have a patient that wakes up after having a patella luxation surgery, a root canal treatment, or a “simple” castration all deserve equal attention and care.”
“With these machines we can offer a very high patient security. I can keep the anesthesia well balanced, no more, no less than required, and I can take advantage of a very advanced monitoring of the animal and by doing so be in full control of the anesthesia throughout the whole treatment or surgical process.”
Mikael Golicz, Chief anesthesiologist & Veterinary physician, Evidensia Gothenburg
Versatile anesthesia demands advanced monitoring
More specifically, the hospital that employs 20 veterinarians and roughly the same number of animal keepers, has invested in five 600 series Carestations™ and nine B125 patient monitors from GE Healthcare. While the 600 series Carestation is a very versatile anesthesia platform that includes scalable tools and technology for diverse patient acuities, the B125 monitor includes portable monitoring with multi-parameters featuring alarms and physiological data points.
“With these machines we can offer a very high patient security. I can keep the anesthesia well balanced, no more, no less than required, and I can take advantage of a very advanced monitoring of the animal and by doing so be in full control of the anesthesia throughout the whole treatment or surgical process,” concludes Mikael Golicz.
With the help of the latest tools and anesthesia monitoring technology, the team at Evidensia have been able to deliver a high level of care for its patients ever since the inauguration of the hospital that took place on August 26, 2021.
