Group Protests University of Virginia's Use of Cats in Intubation Training

The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine recently filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service over the use of cats to practice infant intubation at the University of Virginia, according to a Cavalier Daily report.

The group claims the program's practice of endotracheal intubation on cats violates the Animal Welfare Act and emphasizes that medical training programs have many other options for training residents in infant intubation.

According to a university spokesperson, the university uses non-animal simulators whenever possible. The pediatrics residency program trains medical graduate residents in the practice of intubation on cats only when the use of a simulator would not be effective, according to the report. In the case of infants weighing less than four pounds, no current simulator provides adequate training in tracheal intubation, the spokesperson said.

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