The Microsurgical Developments PVC RAT

Adequate education of scientists and animal technicians using microsurgical techniques, plays a key role in advancing the refinement and reduction of animal experiments. The Microsurgical Developments PVC-Rat is a simulator that is developed to master microsurgical skills. First, students are shown a videofilm of all the operations and of several of the general techniques described in the accompanying manual. To get used to the microscope, the instruments and the eye-to-hand coordination, students start practising with the Anastomosis Device. Using this device, both basic surgical skills such as the making of interrupted and running sutures and more complicated procedures such as suturing and knotting in standard end-to-end and end-to-side anastomoses, can be developed. As soon as the students are familiar with the new equipment and understand the basic principles of suturing, they may start using the MD PVC-Rat simulator. The abdominal cavity of the rat is visible and may be used to train advanced microsurgical techniques e.g. anastomoses (end-to-end, end-to-side), cannulation of portal, renal and jugular veins, making portacaval shunts (button and suture technique) and transplantation of blood vessels and organs. Approximately 25 different microsurgical techniques can be practised from start to finish. Several parts of the simulator can easily be replaced. Spare parts (vessels, arteries and organs) are also available. The Jugular vein, Carotid artery and Trachea are visible in the neck region.

The complete package consists of a videofilm, an accompanying manual, MD PVC-Rat simulator, several spare parts (vessels and organs), and the computer simulation software entitled REMOTE (available on CD-ROM). This product is described in the following paper: Bollen, Peter J.A.; Remie, René; Kloots, Willem; Barfred, Lis; Salomon, Søren & Ritskes-Hoitinga, Merel: Post-graduate Teaching in Microsurgery Using a Combination of Alternative Non-animal and In Vivo Methods, Scand. J. Lab. Anim.Sci., No. 3, 2005, Vol. 32: 183-187. 

See the René Remie Surgical Skills Centre.

Price: PVC-Rat: EUR 289.00 + VAT + Administration costs; Spare parts (5 vessels): EUR 21.25 + VAT; Complete set (vessels and several organs, 9 parts): EUR 32.50 + VAT; Remote only: EUR 49.00 + VAT; Braintree, PVC-Rat: US$600.00; Spare parts only: US$70.00

See also these lists of rat simulators and mouse simulators.