Biomechanical and microbiological analysis of embalmed cats – acute effect of conservation

Abstract

Animals corpses in teaching and research institutions could be sources of infection for students and teachers when applied for dissection and surgical practice. This research aimed to evaluate cats' corpses' conservation using a new anatomic technique and vacuum package for seven days, aiming surgical practicing. A 150 mL/ kg of alcohol with 5% glycerin and 120 mL/kg of a 20% sodium chloride, 1% nitrite, and 1% sodium nitrate solution was injected on corpses sealed in vacuum packages and put on 0 to 4°C. Skin and jejunum were collected on day 0 (fresh samples/control), and traction analysis was performed for seven consecutive days. On the last day, the liquid in the plastic bags was microbiologically analyzed. There was no statistical difference between control and conservation moments (D1 and D2) in maximal rupture force of the skin, and jejunum was similar to control in D2, D4, and D6. The microbial population did not exceed 6.0x10 4 CFU/mL in total aerobics and 4.8x10 4 CFU/mL in total anaerobes. Biomechanics was not signifi cantly affected, and the microbiological count was low during conservation, demonstrating the possible effectiveness of this anatomical technique for surgery training.

Preservation of muscle tissue with a formaldehyde-free borax solution for gross anatomy lessons

“…In this type of science, this problem has been overcome by the application of chemical called formaldehyde [5]. Thanks to its antimicrobial feature, formaldehyde can be safely detected after death in animal and human bodies, and it can be stored in formaldehyde solutions for years without spoiling, even if it hardens a little and loses color [4]. However, various problems such as reproductive problems, dermatitis, and respiratory tract problems have emerged over time in people who come into contact with formaldehyde [5,20].…”

“…When evaluating the quality of a cadaver, it should get full marks from criteria such as hardness, color, odor, and structure. The closer these criteria are to the real tissue, the higher the quality of cadaver detection [4].…”

“…It has been observed that the staining intensity weakens in the histological stainings as the fixation time increases in the tissues fixed in formaldehyde, whereas a very good staining intensity is obtained in the buffered ethanol fixation solution regardless of time [7,8,9]. Furthermore, it has been stated that cadavers can preserve their red color by adding food additives with bacteriostatic properties such as nitrite and nitrate to the storage solution [4].…”