Both the University of Sherbrooke in Quebec and Sacre Coeur Hosptial in Montreal won't use dogs or pigs to practice trauma injury procedures such as incision, drainage, intubation, etc.

Instead, their Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) syllabus features human-patient simulators (like TraumaMan System) that impart skills more relevant to people.

According to Dr. John Pippin of Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM), all ATLS programs at Canadian universities and hospitals are now animal-free.

Sherbrooke University's medical school dean, Dr. Pierre Cossette, told the National Post in Canadian med schools end use of live animals:

“It's the best way, educationally speaking, to do that type of teaching and learning. For us, it was a no-brainer…The fact it helped save some animals was a good thing on top of that.”

Advanced simulators that replicate human anatomy even give trainees electronic feedback on the effects of the work, Dr. Cossette added.

Kinship Circle regularly does campaigns to medical schools that still use animals instead of human-focused models. Anatomical simulators, human cadavers and real life hospital rotations cut costs and improve proficiency. They allow for more in-depth feedback and assessment of student performance, while reducing dropout rates.

ATLS courses prep trainees to handle acute trauma injuries. Prior to 2001 — when the American College of Surgeons (ACS) officially endorsed Simulab's TraumaMan — nearly all lab exercises involved live animals. Students used animals for: cricothyroidotomy (neck incision to alleviate blocked airway); pericardiocentesis (fluid removal from sac that encases heart); and chest tube insertion (drainage of blood, fluid or air to facilitate lung expansion).
SOURCE: Background On ATLS

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