Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, has stopped using cats to train physicians to insert breathing tubes in premature babies, according to a Columbus Dispatch report.
According to John J. Pippin, MD, senior medical and research advisor for Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center is the only hospital in Ohio to still use animals for breathing-tube training.
Cincinnati Children's uses ferrets to train physicians on intubation. According to Dr. Pippin, cats and ferrets have been used for years because their airways are a similar size to those of premature infants. The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine says the practice is unnecessary now that medical-training mannequins are available, and placing tubes down a cat's throat repeatedly can cause tracheal bruising and pain.
According to the report, studies have found pediatric residents become more proficient at intubating patients if they train on mannequins rather than animals.
Read the Columbus Dispatch report on intubation training using cats.
Related Articles on Anesthesia:
Unanticipated Tracheal Intubation Associated With Increased Mortality Risk
5 Recent Findings on Anesthesia in Children
Study: Anesthesia Poses Little to No Risk of Death in Healthy Children
According to John J. Pippin, MD, senior medical and research advisor for Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center is the only hospital in Ohio to still use animals for breathing-tube training.
Cincinnati Children's uses ferrets to train physicians on intubation. According to Dr. Pippin, cats and ferrets have been used for years because their airways are a similar size to those of premature infants. The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine says the practice is unnecessary now that medical-training mannequins are available, and placing tubes down a cat's throat repeatedly can cause tracheal bruising and pain.
According to the report, studies have found pediatric residents become more proficient at intubating patients if they train on mannequins rather than animals.
Read the Columbus Dispatch report on intubation training using cats.
Related Articles on Anesthesia:
Unanticipated Tracheal Intubation Associated With Increased Mortality Risk
5 Recent Findings on Anesthesia in Children
Study: Anesthesia Poses Little to No Risk of Death in Healthy Children