UCSB POLICIES FOR SATELLITE FACILITIES
Animal Procedure Areas

The physical facilities and the operation of animal procedure areas are defined by federal law and University policies. Current requirements for satellite animal procedure areas include, but are not limited to, the following:

• The design of a procedural area should accommodate the species to be used and the complexity of the procedures to be performed.
• In minor procedures or nonsurvival surgeries it might not be necessary to follow all the requirements outlined below.
• Aseptic survival surgery includes, at a minimum, clipping the surgical site, wearing gloves, and cleaning the instruments and the surrounding area. For most survival surgical programs, functional components of aseptic surgery include surgical support, animal preparation, surgeon's scrub, operating room, and postoperative recovery. The areas that support those functions should be designed to minimize traffic flow and separate the related, non-surgical activities from the surgical procedure in the operating room. The separation is best achieved by physical barriers but might also be achieved by distance between areas or by the timing of appropriate cleaning and disinfection between activities.
• Control of contamination and ease of cleaning should be key considerations in the design of a surgical facility. The interior surfaces should be constructed of surfaces that are monolithic and impervious to moisture. Ventilation systems supplying filtered air at positive pressure can reduce the risk of postoperative infection. Careful location of air supply and exhaust ducts and appropriate room-ventilation rates are also recommended to prevent contamination. To facilitate cleaning, the operating rooms should have as little fixed equipment as possible.
• The surgical-support area should be designed for washing and sterilizing instruments and for storing instruments and supplies. Autoclaves are commonly placed in this area.
• In the animal-preparation area it is often desirable to have a large sink to facilitate cleaning of the animal and the operative site.
• There should be a scrub area for surgeons, equipped with foot, knee, or electric eye surgical sinks. To minimize the potential for contamination of the surgical site by aerosols generated during scrubbing, the scrub area is usually outside the operating room.
• A postoperative recovery area should provide the physical environment to support the needs of the animal during the period of anesthetic and immediate post-surgical recovery and should be so placed as to allow adequate observation of the animal during this period. The type of caging and support equipment will depend on the species and types of procedures but should be designed to be easily cleaned and to support physiological functions, such as thermoregulation.