Anesthesia, Analgesia, and Surgical Preparation of the Rat

Microsurgery is a highly intricate and demanding surgical technique that necessitates extensive training. Achieving mastery in this field requires appropriate models to simulate human vessels. There are various useful plastic models, such as latex gloves and synthetic tubing, as well as non-living tissue models such as chicken vessels, pig hearts, and cryo-preserved vessels, among others. All these models are of high importance, but it is necessary to have live models to interact with real anatomy, spasm, bleeding and where to evaluate vascular patency and the performance of microsurgical procedures. For all these purposes, the classical live rat animal model is still indispensable to provide the most effective training. The vasculature of rats closely resembles that found in clinical settings, thereby enhancing the realism and applicability of the training experience. This chapter will explain the safe preparation of rat models for microsurgery practice, ensuring compliance with the guidelines established by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee.