Surgery and Postoperative Care Guidelines
Introduction
The PHS policy and the Animal Welfare Act require that veterinary care be provided in
accordance with currently accepted veterinary medical practice. Major considerations in
providing such care with regard to survival surgery in experimentation with animals are:
a. Aseptic technique must be used for survival surgery in non-rodent mammals.
b. Surgery must be performed or directly supervised by trained, experienced personnel.
c. Surgical facilities for the performance of aseptic surgery in non-rodent mammals must
meet standards of the Guide.
d. Postsurgical care must be provided to ensure uneventful recovery from anesthesia and
surgery and to minimize pain and distress.
e. Appropriate sedatives, anesthetics and analgesics must be administered, unless
withholding these agents is approved by the Animal Care Subcommittee.
f. Appropriate medical records must be maintained.
Definitions
Aseptic technique: All of the procedures and practices employed to prevent microbial
contamination of the surgical site.
Major surgery: Surgery that penetrates and exposes a body cavity, orthopedic procedures,
or other procedures that have the potential for producing a permanent disability.
Postoperative care: Observations and administration of therapeutic procedures and
medications to optimize recovery from anesthesia and surgical procedures.
Survival surgery: Surgery after which the animal regains consciousness for anesthesia.
Surgery Facilities
a.
Operating Room Criteria
1. The floor, ceiling and walls must be constructed of materials that are easily
sanitizable. The room must be thoroughly cleaned prior to aseptic surgery.
2. The room must be free of supplies and equipment that are not Relevant to the
surgical procedures being performed. Long-term storage and storage of supplies
not used in operative procedures are not permitted. Supplies must be stored in
closed cabinets that are constructed of sanitizable materials.
3. The operating room must be separated from human occupancy areas. It cannot be
used as an office, laboratory or storage room.
4. Surgical lights, surgical tables and any other equipment must be easily sanitizable.
5. An appropriate scavenging system must be provided whenever gas anesthesia is
used.
6. Explosion-proof electrical outlets and conductive flooring must be provided if
explosive anesthetics are used. Water-proof electrical outlet covers must be used
in the operating room.
7. The operating room must normally be used only for aseptic surgery. However, an
exception is permitted: non-aseptic surgery may also be performed if the
operating room is decontaminated prior to performing the next aseptic surgery.
Decontamination consists of washing the walls, floors and equipment with a
disinfectant. A record of decontamination must be maintained.
b.
Surgical Support Rooms
1. Ideally, separate rooms will be available for:
a. instrument and pack preparation
b. surgeon’s preparation
c. presurgical animal preparation
d. postoperative care
2. A minimum of at least two support rooms separate from the operating room may
suffice—one for surgeon’s preparation and instrument preparation; the other for
animal preparation and postoperative care/
a. Surgeon’s Preparation/Instrument Preparation Room—preparation of the
surgeon must be done in a room that is separate from both the animal
preparation room and the operating room. The surgeon’s preparation room
should be contiguous with the operating room.
b. Animal preparation/Postoperative Recovery Room— preparation of the animal
(ie., anesthesia induction, clipping and preliminary surgical scrub) must be
performed in a room that is separate from the surgeon’s preparation room
and the operating room. The animal preparation room need not be
contiguous with the operating room. After the animal has been moved to the
operating room, a final scrub should be performed on the operating table.
c. The facilities required for intensive care and supportive treatment will vary
with the anesthetic and surgical procedure being performed. Equipment and
supply items that can be helpful for postoperative care include heating pads,
suction equipment, respirators, cardiac monitors and oxygen.
d. Personnel—Aseptic technique requires careful attention to a series of steps
which begins with patient and instrument preparation and ends at final wound
closure. Failure at any one step may result in wound infection which could
compromise both the animal’s health and the experimental data. The
surgeon and support staff must be adequately trained to perform each step of
the aseptic procedure correctly. Assistance with employee training is
available from the LARC professional staff.
Other Considerations in Surgery
It is recommended that most animals be fasted prior to the induction of anesthesia in order
to minimize the possibility that vomiting will occur during induction and to decrease
abdominal distention, which can compromise respiratory function when excessive.
Recommended time periods for fasting animals are listed below:
Dog, cat, pig, nonhuman primate: Overnight (12 hours)
Ruminant: 24-48 hours
Rodents, rabbits: no fasting required*
When gastrointestinal surgeries are performed on these species, it is often desirable to fast
these animals prior to surgery in order to reduce the volume of ingesta. Consult the LARC
veterinary staff for advice regarding the length of time feed should be withheld for rabbits
and rodents.
In order to make sure animals are not fed on the day of surgery, a treatment sheet that
specifies the dates that food and water should be withheld should be submitted to the LARC
office at least one day prior to the date that fasting is desired.
Medical records are required to facilitate the postoperative care of animals. Individual
records must be maintained by the individual responsible for providing postoperative care
for each rabbit, cat, dog, pig, ruminant, nonhuman primate and other animals larger than
rodents. A group record may be used for rodents.
Multiple survival surgeries on a single animal are generally not permitted. Multiple surgeries
may be permitted if they are related components of a research/instructional project;
however, they must be approved by the Animal Studies Subcommittee.