Some experimental procedures are more difficult to perform than others. Nevertheless, it is the responsibility of the IACUC to assure that all persons working with animals have been properly trained and can competently perform the procedures for which they are responsible. Proper training was especially important for the success of Dr. Ralph Osterman's cerebral trauma studies which required anesthetized rabbits to remain anesthetized for 12 hours after induced brain trauma. During that time Osterman studied the effect of various therapeutic modalities on brain microcirculation and brain temperature using noninvasive procedures. All animals were then euthanized without recovering from anesthesia.
Osterman's lab had sophisticated animal anesthesia simulation equipment which was used to train the technician-anesthetists who were responsible only for inducing, maintaining, and monitoring anesthesia. The approved anesthesia training had worked satisfactorily for the five years the protocol had been active and the veterinarians who periodically observed the studies had never requested any additional instruction.
In early June there were two experienced anesthesia technicians assigned to a typical 12 hour experiment, each working back-to-back six hour shifts. Two rabbits were anesthetized, one to receive the experimental treatment and one being a control. Unfortunately, the control rabbit died unexpectedly soon after the study began. When the study was repeated a week later with the same two technicians, once again the control rabbit died during the first six hours. This was quite unusual because this problem had never occurred previously with any of Osterman's studies. Osterman reported the two incidents to the IACUC as unanticipated adverse events. The institution's veterinarians had already performed necropsies but could not determine the cause of the rabbits' deaths, either grossly or through histopathology. The anesthesia machines were checked and were working properly. The anesthesia records did not indicate any unusual occurrences until just before death when there was an acute loss of cardiac activity. Osterman was upset but believed that the deaths were unfortunate coincidences and he wanted to move forward with his research. The IACUC discussed the problem but was unsure of what path to take. What do you think would be a proper action for the IACUC?
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Silverman, J. How should the IACUC handle unanticipated deaths?. Lab Anim 47, 29 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1038/laban.1400
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/laban.1400
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