Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals - Office of ...

VETERINARy CARE11traffic (AORN 2006; Bartley 1993). If it is necessary to use an operatingroom for other purposes, it is imperative that the room be returned to anappropriate level of hygiene before its use for major survival surgery.Generally, agricultural animals maintained for biomedical researchshould undergo surgery with techniques and in facilities compatible withthe guidelines set forth in this section. However, some minor and emergencyprocedures commonly performed in clinical veterinary practice andin commercial agricultural settings may take place under field conditions.Even when conducted in an agricultural setting, however, these proceduresrequire the use of appropriate aseptic technique, sedatives, analgesics, anesthetics,and conditions commensurate with the risk to the animal’s healthand well-being.Surgical ProceduresSurgical procedures are categorized as major or minor and, in thelaboratory setting, can be further divided into survival and nonsurvival. Asa general guideline, major survival surgery (e.g., laparotomy, thoracotomy,joint replacement, and limb amputation) penetrates and exposes a bodycavity, produces substantial impairment of physical or physiologic functions,or involves extensive tissue dissection or transection (Brown et al.1993). Minor survival surgery does not expose a body cavity and causeslittle or no physical impairment; this category includes wound suturing,peripheral vessel cannulation, percutaneous biopsy, routine agriculturalanimal procedures such as castration, and most procedures routinely doneon an “outpatient” basis in veterinary clinical practice. Animals recoveringfrom these minor procedures typically do not show significant signs of postoperativepain, have minimal complications, and return to normal functionin a relatively short time. When attempting to categorize a particular surgicalprocedure, the following should be considered: the potential for painand other postoperative complications; the nature of the procedure as wellas the size and location of the incision(s); the duration of the procedure;and the species, health status, and age of the animal.Laparoscopic surgeries and some procedures associated with neuroscienceresearch (e.g., craniotomy, neurectomy) may be classified as major orminor surgery depending on their impact on the animal (Devitt et al. 2005;Hancock et al. 2005; NRC 2003; Perret-Gentil et al. 1999, 2000). For example,laparoscopic techniques with minimal associated trauma and sequelae(e.g., avian sexing and oocyte collection) could be considered minor, whereasothers (e.g., hepatic lobectomy and cholecystectomy) should be consideredmajor. Although minor laparoscopic procedures are often performed on an“outpatient” basis, appropriate aseptic technique, instruments, anesthesia,and analgesia are necessary. Whether a laparoscopic procedure is deemed