The School of Veterinary Medicine at Great Eastern University received a non-federally funded grant to perform a clinical trial with a new drug for the treatment of cardiomyopathy in pet cats. The veterinary school’s clinical trial policy was to have the university’s IACUC review and approve any such studies. The protocol went through the IACUC review and approval process with no significant problems. However, a problem did arise when a new resident, while on his way to work that evening and who was working for the Principal Investigator (PI) of the clinical trial, found an abandoned older cat in a carrier near the small animal clinic door. He thought he would do the PI a big favor by treating the cat with the new drug plus atenolol, a beta-adrenergic blocker used to treat feline cardiomyopathy. The approved protocol did not include administering the two drugs together. He planned on monitoring the cat overnight to see if the combined drugs would impact various cardiac parameters as compared to the new drug by itself. He intended to euthanize the cat in the morning.
This ridiculous plan may have worked if not for an animal care supervisor who was making her morning rounds earlier than usual. She found the bottle of atenolol on a ledge and quickly recognized that it was not part of the approved protocol. When she turned around, she saw the abandoned cat, still in its carrier with some food and water. After placing the cat in a quarantine area, she notified the attending veterinarian who immediately reported the problem to the IACUC. The IACUC held a special meeting the same day.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution