Title Page for all entries in the Biomedical Breakthroughs and My Life

Transcription

1 Title Page for all entries in the Biomedical Breakthroughs and My Life Contest Date: March 1st, 2016 Student Name: Georgia Arnold Title of Entry: Canine Head Trauma Teacher s Name (if entering as part of a school class): Stephanie Bailey School Name (requested from all participants) Post Middle School Category: (Essay, Poster, or Video) Essay Theme (Animal Research Saves Lives, Animal Research Helping Animals, or Advances in Medical Biotechnology) Animal Research Saves Animals Enter this essay in the English Language Learner (for 5 years or less of English) category: Yes X No Canine Head Trauma

2 Early in the summer of 2010, my dog Coco suffered from severe head trauma. An advanced series of medicines and procedures were used to save the three-year-old Chihuahua from death. When I tell people the story of my puppy accidentally getting hit by a bat, they tend to laugh. However, the accident is a serious topic, and advanced medicine being tested on rats truly saved her life. My mother, who vividly remembers the terrible experience stated, After assessing the injuries, the vets took an xray of her head and body, which helped the doctors determine the extent of her head trauma. An IV was given to slow down brain swelling and help calm her down. The doctors found it necessary to put her in an induced coma, which gave them time to allow the brain swelling to go down. She added, If the medicine used that day was not yet discovered, we wouldn t still have our Coco-girl. In the early 1970 s, doctors began a study for a safe, injectable anesthetic. (3) Propofol was the outcome of these studies, and has become a commonly-used painkiller for pets. (3) Propofol is used to help a patient, or animal, relax during or before general anesthesia. (3) In this case, it was also used when my dog was hooked up to a ventilator. In multiple occasions, rats have been tested on to determine the porphyrinogenicity of propofol. (5) Ninety minutes after the medicine was infused into the rats, a development of tolerance to propofol was observed. (5) First discovered by Wilhelm Roentgen, x-rays, as they continue to advance, have become a critical tool in the medical world. (6) They can be used to look for skull fractures, brain injury, and produce clear images of bones, tissue, and liver. (6) The strongest factor in determining the head trauma was the x-ray. They can detect blunt or penetrating injuries. (1) Without the procedure, the veterinarians wouldn t have been able to visually see the places in which she was injured, or how severe the injuries were.

3 In only the worst cases, dogs can be put into an induced coma, which primarily allows the brain swelling to go down. (4) The drug used to shut down brain function can vary, and is typically a type of anesthesia (4). Every day, an average of 60,000 patients undergo the anesthesia. (4) After giving the pet a drug, they administer it until a pattern in the monitor follows the pet s brain waves, the electroencephalogram (EGG). (4) Reduction of energy to the parts of the brain with adequate blood flow cause the patient s brain to heal. (4) Induced comas can be a lifesaver because they take energy off certain parts of the brain. (4) Every day, doctors are discovering new advances in medical technology, and the testing being done on animals has saved many other animals, including my dog. If medicines weren t tested with rats before they were used on larger animals and humans, survival rates would be much lower. (2) Some people are against animal testing, however, they are oblivious to the fact that animals are well-treated when being tested on. (2) As you can see, animal research saves animals. REFLECTIVE PARAGRAPH By doing this project, my views have completely changed on animal testing. I have not only realized how crucial animal testing is, but how it affects our lives every day. Some people don t even know it, but medicine we use daily were once tested on, which made them safe for humans.an advance in biomedical technology occurs, and can save lives in the future. I ve learned how animal testing is the way for medicines to safely get from a lab to behind a counter. Most importantly, this project has caused me to develop a deep appreciation for doctors who work every day to save the ones we love.

4 BIBLIOGRAPHY 1. Head Trauma in Dogs / petplace.com / Dr. Debra Primovic / Date Accessed: February 26th, 2016 / 2. Should Animals Be Used for Scientific or Commercial Testing? / Procon.org / Date Accessed: February 27th, 2016 / Website Last Updated: January 12th, Propofol / drugs.com / Date Accessed: February 24th, 2016 / Data Sources: Micromedex (updated February 24th, 2016), Cerner Multum (updated March 1st, 2016), and Wolters Kluwer (updated March 1st, 2016) 4. What Is a Medically Induced Coma and Why Is It Used? / scientificamerican.com / Date Accesed: Febraury 27th, 2016 / Author: David Biello / Written: 2011 / Not To Be Updated 5. Testing the Porphyrinogenicity of Propofol In a Primed Rat / PubMed / Date Accessed: February 25, 2016 / Website Last Updated: Unknown / Authors: Schmidt H., Martin E., Lux R., Bolsen K., Goerz G., Bohrer H. ol_in_a_primed_rat_model 6. X Rays / Medline Plus / Date Accessed: February 29, 2016 / Last Updated: March 1st, 2016 / Author: Unknown

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