The committee is a nonprofit organization that promotes preventive medicine, conducts clinical research and encourages higher standards for ethics and effectiveness in research. It has more than 12,000 physician members.
The complaint against Mayo, filed with the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, cites inadequate oversight of the training protocol by the medical center’s animal care and use committee and violations of the federal Animal Welfare Act.
The act requires “that a principal investigator — including course instructors — consider alternatives to procedures that may cause more than momentary or slight pain or distress to any animal used for research purposes.”
Mayo Clinic uses live animals to teach invasive airway procedures to residents, which places it outside standard training for emergency medicine residents, according to the committee.
In a statement to Becker’s, Mayo Clinic defended its use of pigs to train emergency medicine residents.
“Mayo Clinic uses pigs to train emergency medicine residents in essential techniques so they can safely and effectively provide lifesaving care to pediatric patients,” the statement said . “These are techniques that cannot be effectively taught in a simulation center. These procedures have been reviewed and approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee. Mayo Clinic meets or exceeds all standards set by the federal agencies and accrediting agency required for the use of animals.”
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