UC Irvine

Splenectomy in an animal model requires a standardized technique utilizing best practice to avoid variability which can result in adverse impact to the animal resulting in flawed physiologic responses simply due to technique rather than to the studied variables. In the case of the spleen, often investigators are analyzing the animal immune or inflammatory responses. Surgical splenectomy involves many variables from the training and expertise of the surgeon, which directly correlates to surgical technique to the length of operation and ease of the procedure. This operation, in turn, impacts blood loss and insensible fluid losses, sterile technique, unintended trauma to the spleen and surrounding organs, the length of the incision and the duration of the operation with more prolonged exposure to anesthetic agents. All these variables ultimately play a significant role in the experiment since they directly affect the response of the model in terms of inflammation, immune activation, or even suppression. Undesired variables such as these go unnoticed and lead to inaccurate and misleading data.