Confidence starts with quality instruments

As every veterinary surgeon knows, your instruments are the essential tool in your toolkit. With multiple options on the market, how do you decide? Value and longevity are two key considerations when looking at instruments and sutures. Add in a partner that supports your veterinary team with continuing education and you have a one-stop for shop for surgery success.

We had a conversation about the value of reliable instruments with Ryan Davis, MinstLM PgC SAS BVMS MRCVS, of Southwater Veterinary Group in Telford, UK. Ryan shared what makes Securos stand out from its competitors and how strong customer service is at the heart of Southwater and MWI Animal Health’s long and healthy relationship.

MWI: To your knowledge, why did Southwater Vets choose Securos instruments and sutures?
Ryan Davis: I had a long history of using Securos products, even before we started this practice in 2023. I had worked with Clare [Potts, Commercial Manager for MWI Animal Health] in other ventures since 2013 and appreciate the predictable quality of the products.

MWI: What is different about Securos products from others you may have used throughout your career?
Ryan Davis: The technical support is a big deal. If I need something specific, I can call Clare, and she will do her best to sort it out. The support and aftercare are excellent. From a product standpoint, the instruments tend to have longevity. They last. When we set up, we inherited a load of instruments, and we also had some items we could not get from Securos. A lot of that non-Securos kit is worn out, but the Securos instruments tend to stand the test of time. They are good quality and they last.

MWI: We know that value and cost are not the same thing. Do you find Securos products to be a good investment for practices?
Ryan Davis: Yes. The value for the instruments, especially, is very good. We also use a lot of the cranial closing wedge plates. I think they were an innovation that needed to come, and we have used them from the start. We use the stainless steel cranial closing wedge plates, and they have been excellent. I also like that the product catalog keeps up with what practices need at the current time. There are trends in surgery. Surgeons like to change things and modify things, but I feel like we keep up with it with Securos products.

MWI: How do Securos sutures compare to others on the market?
Ryan Davis: We use a lot of the Securos suture material. I have used different sutures over the years, and I think for the price point, it is second-to-none. There are more expensive ones, and there will always be people who can pick something out of the lineup that they do not like in every suture range. But overall, we use a lot of Securocryl ™ and Securodox™ and they have been excellent. We rarely get suture problems. The needles are sharp, and that matters because we do a lot of skin surgery. We do not find the needle is blunt or that we have problems with it, which can happen with cheaper alternatives. I am very happy with it, and we use it a lot.

MWI: What have you applied from Securos continuing education to your practice? How have these classes helped the veterinary surgeons you mentor at Southwater Vets?
Ryan Davis: I think the courses are well placed. The instructors are respected and experienced in the veterinary community. A lot of CPD early in a career teaches high-level principles, but it does not always encourage you to go and do the surgery. With Securos courses, you leave with the practical feeling like you can accomplish the procedure Knee surgery is probably the biggest one. We have a constantly changing understanding of knees, and we try to stay up to date with what is current. We used Securos TTAs for years, and we put in many, many hundreds of them. As TTA’s fell out of favor, we came back and did the cranial closing wedge course, and then we did the TPLO course. We have adapted our surgeries to cover all of them as the trends and the evidence move behind certain procedures. When we decide we need to switch or add a technique, we do a practical course. From a mentoring standpoint, we use Securos products so people get a feel for quality instruments. Then they know if they need to refine something, it is the technique, not that they need to buy new equipment.

MWI: Is there anything in particular that makes Securos stand out against our competitors?
Ryan Davis: For me, it comes down to quality, availability, and support. On the instrumentation side, scissors matter. It sounds dull, but if you have rubbish scissors, it is hard to do delicate surgery, whether that is thoracic work, spinal surgeries, or other procedures where precision matters. I need to know the instruments stay sharp and are not going to fall to bits. I had my favorite pair of Securos scissors for about sixteen years before they broke. That was just wear over time, and I think the metal gave up after too many autoclave cycles. You get a favorite, and you keep buying it and using it. We use a lot of needle holders. They are a nice shape, and the tips are really good. We also use DeBakey tissue forceps, and there is a great range in that product line. On availability, I think it matters that there is European manufacturers behind a lot of the materials and equipment. We are not relying on importing materials in a way that can affect production and flow. Sometimes you wait a few days, which is expected, but when there has been a major issue in the world market, we have not noticed the effect on the ground. Having European-manufactured equipment makes life easier for us.

MWI: What would you want up-and-coming practitioners to know about choosing instruments and sutures?
Ryan Davis: Pay cheap, pay twice. You can go online and buy poorly finished instruments. A lot of instruments are made and then refined to different standards, and that shows up in the price. You can buy cheap needle holders and similar items, but people end up snagging sutures and breaking things. It affects their confidence in surgery because they think they are doing something wrong. Many times, I have walked into practices and thrown a load of instruments away and made them get new ones, because they are dangerous if they are not fit for function. Some needle holders and similar tools can come off the same production line as items that go to fishing outlets, like disgorger tools. They can look very similar, but the quality is nowhere near the same. If instruments are not finished properly, you get burrs and snags. One of the things Securos does right is that there are very rarely burrs or snags. The instruments are smooth and beautifully finished, which makes them better to operate with. I have confidence in the instruments, and you need that, because younger vets can have a crisis of confidence if things go wrong. They need decent kit. On a fairly regular basis, I will call Clare and put her in touch with people who have used the Securos kit, felt it was better, and then bought more kit. We are not salespeople, and there is no financial gain in it for us. It’s good for the profession if veterinary surgeons are using quality kit to get good outcomes.