Share thisIn the last “Infusion Tips” we discussed catheters suitable for non-surgical implantation. Often however, it may be necessary to perform a more invasive surgical procedure to ensure reliable vascular access. In these instances, we strongly recommend that all survival implantation procedures be performed under sterile (aseptic) conditions.
Aseptic practices are essential not only during the actual surgical procedure but during the pre-operative and post-operative procedures as well. Aseptic technique is the first line of defense against catheter-related infections which can lead to loss of patency, local or systemic infections, and even septicemia. Any of these complications may reduce or negate the validity of a study and cause undue stress to the test subject.
At first glance, aseptic methods may appear complex and overly time consuming. However, with proper training, planning, and practice, sterile technique can readily be incorporated into surgical protocols. The initial investment of resources required to institute sterile surgery is far less expensive than the cost of repeating a study deemed invalid due to loss of catheter patency or infection. This installment of “Tips” provides insight into the proper sterile techniques used specifically during pre-operative preparation. Subsequent articles will address surgical implantation and post-operative maintenance of catheters, all focusing on the rodent as a typical animal model.
Training
As always, before attempting surgery in the research setting, there must be proper veterinary oversight and approval of all methods and procedures. It is also important that the animals are in a good state of health prior to performing catheter implantation surgery unless the scope of the study dictates otherwise.
In the past, many surgical procedures performed in the laboratory had been passed on from surgeon to surgeon, by mentors that had either been formally trained or established their methods using literature review and trial and error. Today, prospective surgeons have a variety of training resources for surgical methods literally at their fingertips. These resources (Table 1) include hands on wet labs at professional meetings such as Academy of Surgical Research (ASR), Safety Pharmacology Society (SPS), and the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science (AALAS) along with webinars from sources such as Veterinary Bioscience Institute (VBI), plus numerous DVDs, books and journal articles. Exploiting these resources can save valuable time and immediately yield better surgical outcomes.
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