Teamwork

The Great Eastern University IACUC would benefit from establishing guidelines that address training before performance of study procedures, particularly those involving surgery. The AV's concern regarding the IACUC's approval of Sturkie's protocol to conduct cardiac artery ligation surgery on mice without his team having prior surgical experience is valid. The Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals (the Guide)¹ states that researchers must have appropriate training to perform surgery and that surgery training may have to be tailored to accommodate the breadth of educational backgrounds frequently encountered in research settings: “The IACUC, together with the AV, is responsible for determining that personnel performing surgical procedures are appropriately qualified and trained in the procedures.” The Guide does not state that the AV must provide training on a specific procedure; in fact, it encourages a team approach to a surgery project. It is interesting that both the Guide¹ and the Animal Welfare Regulations² involve the AV in pre-surgery planning as well as post-surgical care, but neither places direct responsibility on the AV to review personnel qualifications and effectiveness of training. The Guide requires the AV (together with the IACUC) to ensure that training addresses good surgical technique (asepsis, gentle tissue handling, minimum tissue dissection, appropriate instrument use, effective hemostasis and proper use of suture materials and patterns)¹.

Key questions that need to be addressed include when and how the training should occur and whether the IACUC should approve the protocol, including the cardiac artery ligation procedure, before training has occurred. Training and qualification should occur before the surgery is performed on the study protocol. There is concern regarding the Sturkie team's lack of surgical experience. Sturkie should pursue other options to generate the cardiac artery ligation mouse model. It is important to consider the science when evaluating these options. Besides the potential for animal pain and distress as his team gains experience with this surgery, there is the possibility of generating an inadequate model due to poor technique.

Other options should be explored to address the question of whether the IACUC should approve the surgical procedure before training has occurred. A team approach with the AV and the Fitzgibbons lab could be used. The Fitzgibbons lab could perform the ligation procedure and then transfer the animal model to Sturkie's study protocol. Alternatively, the Fitzgibbons lab could train the Sturkie team under AV oversight. A pilot study could be conducted under a protocol held by Sturkie that lists all personnel on his team as well as any Fitzgibbons lab personnel who will provide training. The approach might include starting with cadavers and moving to recovery procedures when the team is more skilled. Sturkie would report the results of the pilot study and training to the IACUC and, if results were satisfactory, request approval of the protocol. A teamwork approach to provision of training and ensuring proficiency would be in the best interest of the animals, the personnel and the science.

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