Update 11/04/10: The UPMC has agreed to phase out the use of live pigs for trauma training. But with the next course taking place Nov. 18 and 19, they need to make the transition now, before any more pigs are subjected to unnecessary cruelty. Please urge UPMC to make the humane change immediately.

The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine filed a complaint with the USDA concerning the use of live pigs for medical training at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. The pigs are used as part of Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS). According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, ATLS training "typically involves performing various medical procedures including cutting into the chest, neck, and abdomen." The pigs are killed after being victimized by unneeded surgeries.

There is no reason to put pigs through this. Alternative training tools exist, such as  high-tech mannequins like Synman and TraumaMan. Both have been recommended by the American College of Surgeons. Only 11 of the 225 medical facilities offering trauma training  in North America still use live animals for this purpose.

Tell the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center that the use of live animals to train physicians in ATLS courses is cruel and unnecessary. And tell them soon, as the next round of ATLS training begins October 14, which means more pigs will soon find themselves under the knife.