University of Wisconsin-Madison

Policy Number: 2003-019 [PDF]

Adoption Date: 06/12/2003

Effective Date: 06/12/2003

Expiration Date: ongoing

Review Date: Annually in January

Surgical/anesthetic Records on USDA Covered Species

Purpose: This policy defines the minimum surgical/anesthetic records that are required by the USDA for animal species covered under the Animal Welfare Act.

Policy: Surgical/anesthetic records on USDA covered species should include the following when applicable:

1. Name of procedure, species, animal identification, protocol number.
2. Name of experimenter, date and time performed.
3. Time, route, dose of all substances administered.
4. List of physiological parameters monitored along with the frequency of that monitoring.
5. Initial values of those parameters once a surgical plane of anesthesia has been reached.
6. Notation of any significant changes in those parameters during the course of surgery/anesthesia.
7. Recovery records.

Each entry should be initialed. Surgical/anesthesia records or copies must be accessible at all times. If present in laboratory notebooks, those notebooks must remain in the laboratory. More stringent monitoring can be required by the IACUC, laboratory animal veterinarian, or Principal Investigator. Failure to keep thorough surgical records could have serious consequences for the University's animal based teaching and research.

Prepared by: R. Lane

Reference Minutes: 06/12/2003