Objective: This review discusses the scientific evidence regarding effects of insufficient rest on clinical performance and house officer training programs, the associations of clinical duty scheduling with insufficient rest, and the implications for risk management.Study design: Narrative review.Methods: Several literature searches using broad terms such as “sleep deprivation,” “veterinary,” “physician,” and “surgeon” were performed using PubMed and Google scholar.Results: Sleep deprivation and insufficient rest have clear and deleterious effects on job performance, which in healthcare occupations impacts patient safety and practice function. The unique requirements of a career in veterinary surgery, which may include on‐call shifts and overnight work, can lead to distinct sleep challenges and chronic insufficient rest with resultant serious but often poorly recognized impacts. These effects negatively impact practices, teams, surgeons, and patients. The self‐assessment of fatigue and performance effect is demonstrably untrustworthy, reinforcing the need for institution‐level protections. While the issues are complex and there is no one‐size‐fits‐all approach, duty hour or workload restrictions may be an important first step in addressing these issues within veterinary surgery, as it has been in human medicine.Conclusion: Systematic re‐examination of cultural expectations and practice logistics are needed if improvement in working hours, clinician well‐being, productivity, and patient safety are to occur.Clinical significance (or Impact): A more comprehensive understanding of the magnitude and consequence of sleep‐related impairment better enables surgeons and hospital management to address systemic challenges in veterinary practice and training programs.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to compare the outcomes of cats undergoing open cystotomy with those undergoing minimally invasive surgery (MIS) for removal of cystic calculi by use of a composite outcome score. Methods: Twenty-eight cats were retrospectively enrolled and divided into two groups: open cystotomy (n = 14) and MIS (n = 14). The primary outcome measure was a composite outcome score, including three variables: pain scores ⩾2 at either 6 or 12 h postoperatively; failure to remove all stones as determined by postoperative radiographs; and postoperative complications requiring a visit to the hospital separate from the planned suture removal appointment. Other data collected included signalment, history, other procedures performed during anesthesia, willingness to eat the day after surgery and the financial cost of the procedures. Results: There was no significant difference in age, weight, sex or breed between the two groups. The risk of experiencing the composite outcome was 3/14 (21.4%) in the MIS group and 10/14 (71%) in the open procedure group ( P = 0.02). The cats in the open surgery group had 8.3 times greater odds of developing the composite outcome than cats in the MIS group (odds ratio 8.3, 95% confidence interval 1.3–74.4; P = 0.02). In the MIS group, 10/14 cats were eating the day after surgery vs 3/14 in the open procedure group ( P = 0.02). The procedural cost was higher in the MIS group, with a median cost of US$945 (interquartile range [IQR] US$872–1021) vs US$623 (IQR US$595–679) in the open group ( P <0.01). Conclusions and relevance: In this study the composite outcome score provided evidence to support the use of MIS techniques in cats with cystic calculi. The composite outcome score should be considered in future veterinary studies as a promising method of assessing clinically relevant outcomes.

This study assessed the effects of concurrent intra-articular injection and Tibial Plateau Leveling Osteotomy (TPLO) plate surface treatment with leukoreduced platelet rich plasma (lPRP) on outcomes of dogs undergoing TPLO. A retrospective study of medical records for cases presenting from January 2018 to December 2020 was performed. Client-owned dogs with naturally occurring cranial cruciate ligament rupture that underwent TPLO surgery were divided into two groups. The lPRP group included cases that underwent intra-articular injection and plate surface treatment at the time of their TPLO. The control group (C) underwent TPLO without PRP treatment. Data analyzed included: presence of surgical site infection, implant removal rate, degree of change in OA progression score, lameness score progression and radiographic bone healing. The short- and long-term complication rate, hospitalization and antibiotic therapy were also compared between the groups. Descriptive statistics, comparison analyses (Chi square test, t-test, Fisher’s exact test) and multi-level logistic regression models were used for statistical analysis. A total of 110 cases met the study inclusion criteria: 54 = lPRP, 56 = C. There were no significant differences between groups with regard to gender, age, presence of meniscal tear, weight, or body condition score. Significant findings included: improved radiographic healing of the osteotomy in the lPRP group, improved global OA scores in the lPRP group, and improved lameness score at recheck examination in the lPRP group. There was no significant difference between the lPRP and C group with regard to surgical site infection and implant removal rate. Concurrent intra-articular injection and plate surface treatment with leukocyte reduced PRP at the time of TPLO, is beneficial in slowing the progression of OA, hastening the radiographic evidence of osteotomy healing, and improved lameness score on recheck examination. Leukocyte reduced PRP was not a significant factor in reducing SSI or implant removal rate.