Anesthesia Certification Requirements in USDA Regulated Animals

Background: Each laboratory animal is unique in its requirements for pre-medications, airway control, anesthetic drugs and dosages, and physiological monitoring. All of these components are critical to ensure a successful anesthetic outcome. The IACUC is concerned about the welfare of all laboratory animals undergoing anesthesia, and training in anesthetic methods for researchers using rodents is provided in Animal Use Training Sessions (AUTS). Anesthesia in USDA regulated laboratory animals is too diverse to cover in one training class, and experience varies between researchers and must be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. A researcher may have experience with anesthetic methods in a USDA regulated animal at another institution but the researcher is new to the University of Washington. Alternatively, a researcher who is approved to use one or more genus of animals at the University of Washington may have no experience with anesthetic methods in a USDA regulated animal that is new to their research. In either case, it is important for the IACUC to ensure a researcher’s competence in the use of pre-medications, airway control, anesthetic drugs and dosages, and physiological monitoring before, during, and after anesthesia in USDA regulated animals at the University of Washington.

Policy: Any researcher or research staff member who plans to administer anesthesia to USDA regulated animals at the University of Washington must be certified as competent in performing the anesthetic methods planned in their protocol. Certification is provided by Department of Comparative Medicine (DCM) or Washington National Primate Research Center (WaNPRC) veterinary staff, and is a pre-requisite to performing the procedures independently. This policy applies to researchers and research staff members who are new to the University of Washington, as well as University of Washington researchers and research staff members who will anesthetize a USDA regulated animal they have not previously anesthetized at the University of Washington. Specific arrangements must be made with the DCM or WaNPRC veterinary staff, as applicable, to provide the required certification.