Gastrotomy is a common surgical procedure in small animal practice, often utilised for foreign body removal or, less commonly, to enable gastric biopsy. In this video, created by Jon Hall MRCVS, RCVS Specialist in Small Animal Surgery, you can see a detailed explanation of gastrotomy.
Patients undergoing gastrotomy should be anaesthetised, and placed in dorsal recumbency. A large area should be clipped and prepared - usually from a couple of inches cranial to the xiphoid all the way to the pubis and the full width of the abdomen. Pain relief will be needed, but NSAIDs may be contraindicated depending on the condition. Intravenous prophylactic antibiotics are often appropriate, as any surgery involving the GI tract without concurrent peritonitis should be considered clean-contaminated.
A midline incision is made from the xiphoid to the umbilicus. Balfour retractors can then be used to expose the cavity. Before any surgery takes place, it is standard practice to undertake an examination of the abdominal contents, checking for viability and abnormalities.
Flush the abdomen with sterile saline (if spillage occurred, 1L per 10kg bodyweight recommended) and count out all laparotomy swabs. Close the celiotomy incision as normal. Don't forget pain relief - a splash block of local anaesthetic before skin closure can be a useful adjunct. Recover the patient as normal.