No More Killing for Medical Training :

Syrian Doctor Develops Surgical Training Method Using Human Cadavers as an Alternative to Live Animals

Tuesday 6 April - Montreal

To avoid the use of live anesthetized animals in surgical training, neurosurgeon, Dr. Emad Aboud, from the department of neurosurgery at the College of Medicine at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) has developed a new training method that allows students to practice surgical maneouveurs on human cadavers or ethically sourced animal cadavers. In order to simulate life, the cadavers are connected to a device composed of artificial blood reservoirs and a pump that transmits pulsating blood under pressure to the cadaver vessels.

Each year around the world, thousands of animals including dogs, cats, rabbits, farm animals,non-human primates, amphibians, birds, and fish are used as experimental subjects and eventually killed in medical training facilities, for medical students to practice suturing and other painful surgical procedures.

Not only do laboratory animals suffer the pain and injury caused from the surgeries themselves,but also from the trauma of long-term confinement in tiny cages, isolation, lack of veterinary care and the inability to express any of their natural behaviours. According to Dr. Aboud, “laboratory surgical training is essential in teaching and refining surgical skills, but torturing and killing animals in the process is not.”

Using Dr. Aboud’s groundbreaking method, medical students will be able gain all the required surgical skills while sparing animals lives. According to Zipporah Weisberg, Global Action Network campaigner, “students can be so traumatized by using live animals for medical training, that they actually drop-out of medical school. Dr. Aboud’s discovery will not only mean less animal suffering but less drop-outs and more doctors in Canada and around the world. After all, doctors are interested in relieving suffering, not causing it.”

Dr. Aboud has used this model in medical training courses in the USA, Syria, and Lebanon for the past three years and he is now introducing the model to training facilities throughout Canada.Dr Aboud and UAMS are searching for a partner to produce the device which is patent pending.The patent application has been published on the United States Patent and Trademark Office website: www.uspto.gov. The number of the published document is: us20030186203A1.

Information:

Dr. Emad Aboud – 416-876-3159 - aboud@swaida.com
Zipporah Weisberg – 514-939-5525 – zipporah@gan.ca - www.gan.ca