Reanimated pig organs improve surgical practice

A team of Chinese researchers has developed an innovative way of preserving the internal organs of slaughtered pigs, so that they can be later reanimated and used in the training of surgeons to provide a more realistic simulation of human surgical procedures.

It takes some 10,000 hours of practical training to become an experienced surgeon, but the cost of using live animal organs can be prohibitive, and the use of plastic models and simulators unrealistic.

The team from the Organ Transplant Center of the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University in Guangdong, led by professor He Xiaoshun, has developed a system whereby the abdominal organs of pigs are obtained from slaughterhouses and preserved in liquid before being resupplied with blood and nutrients and reanimated for surgery practice at medical training centers.