Laparoscopic appendectomy performed on pigs at first-of-its kind animal lab at GRH

 The first laparoscopic procedure on pigs was performed at the newly constructed animal laboratory at Madurai Medical College on Tuesday. 

The animal lab which is installed at GRH is the first-of-its kind in any government hospital in the country, said doctors.  

While private hospitals have such an animal lab for the surgeons and postgraduate medical students to perform complex procedures on animals before moving on to humans, it was the first time for any government hospital in the country to get permission for opening such a lab, said S. Muthukumar, Association of Surgeons of India, Madurai chapter- secretary.  

The lab, which has secured permission from the Department of Animal Husbandry and Committee for the Purpose of Control and Supervision of Experiments on Animals, has initially got the nod to perform the laparoscopic appendectomy, he added.  

With the ethical committee meetings of the hospitals is to follow in the upcoming months, Dr. Muthukumar, said that permissions would be gradually procured for similar procedure in other parts like aorta, thyroid, gall bladder, kidney among others. 

As labs for tests on smaller animals like mice and rabbits were common in all government hospitals, medical performance on larger animals required clearance from several ends, he noted.  

In addition, the animal, which was used, would be ensured that it was vaccinated against swine flu and not affected by any zoonotic diseases, for the well-being of humans performing on it, he added.  

“We get the pigs which are certified by the veterinary doctors from Tamil Nadu Agricultural University. Following this, the veterinary surgeons at GRH would also conduct separate tests by isolating them for a week or so,” he stated.  

Moreover, the operation theatre which would be under CCTV surveillance round the clock would also be monitored by an expert surgeon when students or surgeons perform laparoscopic procedure on the animal, he said.  

“The lab would be of great help to the doctors at their initial stages of their career as it would give them hands-on training before entering the ‘real’ operation theatre,” he noted.  

By incorporating such facilities in the government sector, it will help students to train at an affordable cost, said Dean of Madurai Medical College L. Arul Sundareshkumar.