Design and preliminary experience of a transportable equine operating theatre

Equine surgical facilities are not always available, even in situations where high-value horses are involved in relatively high-risk activities.

To develop a self-contained equine surgical unit that can be relocated and transported by road.

Proof of concept.

A modular operating suite for horses, which included a theatre, scrub room, instrument preparation and storage room, and an anaesthetic induction/recovery box: Transportable Equine Operating Theatre (TEOT) was designed, constructed and tested. A second, larger unit was then built following the same design criteria.

Both units were based on modifications of standard 6.06 × 2.35 m (20 × 8 ft), steel shipping containers that were fitted out to provide anaesthetic and surgical facilities in a functional and safe working environment. The two TEOTs consisted of either two or three containers that had selected sections of their sides removed so that they could be joined together to create a single large internal space. This space was subdivided to create separate working areas. A dedicated anaesthetic induction/recovery box was fabricated from a modular steel frame that could be disassembled for transport. The component parts could be loaded onto the bed of a standard lorry for road transport. The unit was designed to incorporate equipment that is found in any high-quality equine operating theatre. Surgical procedures on adult Thoroughbred horses have been successfully completed in both units.

The two units have had minimal use to date, and there is little data on their performance.

The equipment described here is a way to provide equine surgical facilities that can be assembled and disassembled to allow their relocation to different sites.