7/28/2019 Peta Letter to Aha Re Wustl 4-18-13

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April 18, 2013

Timothy E. WilliamsDirector of Training Center Operations and QualityAmerican Heart Association (AHA)National CenterPO Box 1567Clifton Park, NY 12065-1567

Via e-mail: tim.williams@heart.org

Dear Mr. Williams,

Thank you in advance for your time. I am writing to follow-up on our recentcorrespondence to let you know that PETA has obtained disturbing undercovervideo footage taken last month during a cat intubation laboratory in the PediatricAdvanced Life Support (PALS) course conducted at Washington University inSt. Louis (WUSTL) in conjunction with St. Louis Childrens Hospital (SLCH).The footage, which you can view athttp://www.petapreview.com/4preview/cat_intubation_laboratory_preview.asp ,confirms that WUSTL continues to distort the AHAs position against animal usein PALS and has placed cats at risk for serious injuries.

In the video, which shows PALS trainees discussing cats waking up in themiddle of painful intubation procedures, WUSTL veterinarian Mike Talcott tellsPALS trainees, The American Heart Association came out and said we dontneed to use cats for PALS because its way too expensive for every PALS coursein the country to have cat labs. So American Heart [Association] cant support itthat way. Thats why.

Of course, AHA has long made clear that it did not support animal use in PALSdue to the effective simulation technology available. In January 2009, AHA sentout a notice to all of its PALS training centers stating, in part, The AHA doesnot require or endorse the use of live animals in any of its training courses. Inthe notice, it distanced itself from any facility that chose to continue usinganimals in the program. A month later in a letter to PETA, Dr. Robert O'Connor,former chair of the AHA Emergency Cardiovascular Care Committee, stated"[t]he use of lifelike training manikins for PALS courses is the standard acceptednorm" and that "the AHA recommends that any hands-on intubation training forthe AHA PALS course be performed on lifelike human manikins."

After obtaining the footage above, to further clarify that AHAs position, I wroteto you last month and asked if the AHAs position on animal use in PALS issolely based on economics, or the fact that the use of animals is unnecessary to

7/28/2019 Peta Letter to Aha Re Wustl 4-18-13

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meet course objectives. You replied on March 18 to confirm the latter, clearly stating, We do notendorse or require the use of animals during the AHA-PALS training because of advances andavailability of simulation mannequins. These mannequins provide the opportunity to practice allthe necessary skills required for successful completion of an AHA PALS course.

Mr. Talcottas his colleague Robert Kennedy previously has in various media interviewsisdistorting the AHAs position on this important issue to mislead PALS trainees and excuse itsindefensible use of animals in its PALS program. Of the more than 1,000 registered PALS facilities,WUSTL is the only one PETA knows of that continues to use animals for intubation training.

We are confident you will find WUSTLs conduct in this video troubling. We respectfully urge theAHA to investigate this matter and take action against WUSTL for its continued use of animals andmisrepresentation of AHAs policy on this issue.

Thank you for your ongoing attention to these concerns. You can contact me by e-mail atJustinG@peta.org or by telephone at 860-882-2492. I look forward to your reply.

Sincerely,

Justin Goodman, M.A.DirectorLaboratory Investigations Department