Analysis of the Skin of Cats’ Corpses Chemically Prepared with Ethylic Alcohol and Curing Salt Aiming Veterinary Surgical Practice - Chronic Effect on Biomechanics and Students´ Evaluation

Vinícius Camargo Fração, Raphael Chiarelo Zero, Alessandra Rodrigues, Beatriz Nogueira Ferreira, Alisson Diego Senna Fechis, Thiago André Salvitti de Sá Rocha, Maurício Theago Iozzi & Fabrício Singaretti de Oliveira^*

Department of Animal Morphology and Physiology, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Brazil

Dr. Fabrício Singaretti de Oliveira, Department of Animal Morphology and Physiology, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Brazil.

Keywords: Anatomy; Surgery; Teaching; Practice

Abstract

Background
Various are the alternative methods that look for the animal’s welfare in the veterinary surgical technique teaching, which aim to substitute the use of live animals, generating similar or superior learning to the students.
Aim
To determine, the maximum force and elongation for skin rupture in cats´ corpses chemically preserved with ethyl alcohol and curing salt, besides taking the evaluation of undergraduate students at a Veterinary School by performing incision and suture in those corpses skin.
Materials and Methods
For fixation, in eight cats´corpses, 96% ethyl alcohol solution containing 5% glycerin was infused via the common carotid artery. After, a solution constituted by curing salt (200g/l of sodium chloride, 10g/l of sodium nitrite and 10g/l of sodium nitrate) were injected the same way the alcohol. Corpses were kept under refrigeration (2º to 6ºC) then. Control samples were collected before fixation and immediately submitted to biomechanical testing. In the second phase of this research, eight more cats were prepared using the same protocol of the first phase and undergraduate students of a Veterinary School performed incision and suture.

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