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Don't hurt the kittens!
Topic Started: Oct 30 2016, 01:35 PM (178 Views)
George K
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Finally
Wash U stops training docs with sedated cats

Quote:
 
Washington University in St. Louis said Monday that it has stopped using sedated cats to train medical students how to insert breathing tubes down babies' throats, effectively ending the practice in the U.S., according to a medical ethics group.

The university's School of Medicine said in a statement that after a "significant investment" in its simulation center, it will now provide neonatal intubation training using only mannequins and advanced simulators, effective immediately.
The school said improvements in simulators made the change possible. Cats currently at the university are being adopted by employees of the medical center.

"In the 25-plus years the university has relied on cats in teaching this procedure, none was harmed during training," the statement read.

The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, a medical ethics nonprofit, applauded the decision, saying the practice was cruel to animals and unnecessary for students. The group said it was the last of the 198 U.S. pediatrics programs still using cats.

"The best way to teach emergency airway intervention is on human-relevant training methods. I commend Washington University for switching to modern methods," said Dr. John Pippin, director of academic affairs for the Physicians Committee.

Washington University's use of cats has drawn criticism in recent years, with critics contending that the animals suffer pain and injuries ranging from cracked teeth to punctured lungs. Protests broke out in 2013 after an undercover video of the university's training in pediatric advanced life support was released by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. The video shows a trainee putting tubes down the throat of a sedated cat, sometimes struggling to get it right. However, the medical school continued using sedated cats in other training programs prior to Monday' announcement.

But university officials have said the lab consistently met federal Animal Welfare Act standards, including passing an inspection by the U.S. Department of Agriculture soon after the PETA video.

Other teaching labs have used simulators for years, but Washington University previously cited research indicating that pediatric doctors in training only succeed in 20 percent to 35 percent of their initial attempts to intubate infants, justifying the need for animals in training.

The program previously used ferrets, too, but university spokeswoman Judy Martin said ferrets have not been used for many years.
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The Bee
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Larry
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Jolly
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It ain't easy to intubate a baby.

Shucks, a lot of docs have a heckuva time with a full grown adult.

But, I guess it's better blow some poor kid's stomach up than possibly, repeat possibly, hurt a cat.

This old world is becoming more and more similar to the reason why Mickey Mouse divorced Minnie Mouse...It's just fvcking goofy...
The main obstacle to a stable and just world order is the United States.- George Soros
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George K
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Jolly
Oct 30 2016, 02:13 PM
It ain't easy to intubate a baby.

Shucks, a lot of docs have a heckuva time with a full grown adult.

But, I guess it's better blow some poor kid's stomach up than possibly, repeat possibly, hurt a cat.

This old world is becoming more and more similar to the reason why Mickey Mouse divorced Minnie Mouse...It's just fvcking goofy...
Intubating a newborn has always been a sphincter-tightening experience. Fortunately, once we got neonatologists attending our C-Sections, my responsibilities declined.

Intubating newborns was part of my training, and I always had an experienced attending with me when we did it. I don't know how I would have done it without someone holding my hand, or having the experience of a good alternative.

That said, I haven't looked at the simulators in years and years. Last time I looked they were pretty shitty, and unlike the real world in a million ways. Perhaps they've gotten better. Nevertheless, there's nothing like learning on something that's living and breathing. There's something to be said about the value of the pucker-factor in medical education.
A guide to GKSR: Click

"Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... "
- Mik, 6/14/08


Nothing is as effective as homeopathy.

I'd rather listen to an hour of Abba than an hour of The Beatles.
- Klaus, 4/29/18
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blondie
Bull-Carp
Maybe the simulators are better now? We used cats for PALS but they were really sick lab cats to begin with and were euthanized right afterwards. I'm told it's way easier to intubate a cat.
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George K
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I've never intubated a cat, so I can't speak to how difficult it is.

But, as I said, a newborn is difficult. Fortunately, I had good teachers.
A guide to GKSR: Click

"Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... "
- Mik, 6/14/08


Nothing is as effective as homeopathy.

I'd rather listen to an hour of Abba than an hour of The Beatles.
- Klaus, 4/29/18
Online Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
blondie
Bull-Carp
Well I just asked. Apparently the simulators are so sophisticated now they can fake pretty realistic seizures. Cats were pretty easy. They're wide.
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George K
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blondie
Oct 30 2016, 05:03 PM
Well I just asked. Apparently the simulators are so sophisticated now they can fake pretty realistic seizures. Cats were pretty easy. They're wide.
Interesting.

But, as I said, there's nothing like that "Oh-my-god-this-thing-is going-to-die" feeling that can't be matched by any simulator. No one dies if you fuck up on a simulator. The simulation may be good, and accurate, but it'll never introduce the adrenalin rush of the real thing. When I was teaching, I had the residents hold their breath when they took the mask off the patient. "If your patient's holding his/her breath, so are you. Let's see how good you are."
A guide to GKSR: Click

"Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... "
- Mik, 6/14/08


Nothing is as effective as homeopathy.

I'd rather listen to an hour of Abba than an hour of The Beatles.
- Klaus, 4/29/18
Online Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
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