Prolonged Physical Restraint

IACUC Policy: 024-04, Effective Date: 10/2002, Last Revision: 11/17/2023

Overview/Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to define what the OSU IACUC considers prolonged restraint and thereby requires additional justification and description in the animal use protocol to ensure that pain and/or distress is minimized.

Definitions

• Physical Restraint: Physical restraint is the use of manual or mechanical means to limit some or all of an animal’s normal movement for the purpose of examination, collection of samples, drug administration, or experimental manipulation.
• Prolonged Physical Restraint: Restriction of normal postural adjustment of awake animals for greater than (>) 60 minutes.

Requirements

• The use of prolonged physical restraint should be avoided unless it is essential for achieving research objectives.
• When used, care should be taken to ensure:
  • The period of restraint is the minimum required to accomplish the research objectives.
  • Animals are acclimated or habituated to the restraint methods and animals that fail to habituate to the restraint are removed from study.
  • Animals are frequently monitored or observed during the restraint period.
• If prolonged physical restraint is necessary, it must be described in the IACUC protocol as a “restraint” activity within the protocol activities section. Narrative should be provided within this section to provide scientific justification outlining why the duration of restraint is needed, how animals will be acclimated/habituated to restraint if applicable, and the frequency that animals will be observed. Criteria should be included within the Adverse effects / ERC section indicating criteria for animals that fail to acclimate to the restraint.
• Alternatives to physical restraint should be considered and documented within the IACUC Protocol. This should be captured within the “Consideration of Alternatives” section of the protocol. In the database search for alternatives, search terms mu include the phrase “prolonged restraint” prolonged physical restraint” or similar terms in the search.