Animal research and cardiovascular surgery

Rev Bras Cir Cardiovasc | Braz J Cardiovasc Surg he invasion of the Royal Institute in São Roque, SP, on the 18th of October, in which tens of Beagle dogs were evacuated by activists, created a huge controversy, amplified by the wide dissemination in the media and on the internet. Moreover, the action of activists led to the closure of the lab. Not only that. Many institutions that use animals as experimental models have suffered threats and pressures, being forced to halt their work. In many institutions, educational activities and training of residents who use animals are being progressively replaced by simulations and experiments with pig hearts obtained from slaughterhouses. It is a situation that merits consideration by all. As “scientists” surgeons we are, we are required to examine this issue from a objective point of view, without the emotional tone of people driven by passion and irrationality. This “activism” is not restricted to Brazil. In Italy, under pressure from activists, a law barring animal research adopted by parliament and awaiting presidential approval has been criticized by scientists. A petition calling for the revision of the law had succeeded, until the beginning of December, 13,000 accessions. According to this law, from 2017, it is prohibited the use of animals for research, experiments relating to drug abuse and xenotransplantation. It also prohibits the breeding of dogs, cats and non-human primates for scientific purposes, although the Ministry of Health may authorize its use for basic research aimed at the treatment of serious human and animals diseases. Finally, it ends with the use of animals in university courses in sciences, medicine included, with the exception of veterinary. The use of animals in scientific research dates back centuries. Cardiovascular surgery, specifically, owes much to the animal research to get to the current stage, saving millions of lives around the planet. Pioneers like Clarence Dennis, John Gibbon, Walton Lillehei, among dozens of others in the midtwentieth century, used dogs to develop CPB [1]. The Brazilian Journal of Cardiovascular Surgery (BJCVS) has regularly published articles reporting animal research. In this edition, the article “Reversible pulmonary trunk banding. IX. G6PD activity of adult goat myocardium submitted to ventricular retraining” by Renato Assad and colleagues (p. 482), is an example to use goats to measure Editorial