East Carolina University says it's no longer using live ferrets to train medical school residents on how to insert a breathing tube.
The Brody School of Medicine came under criticism last year by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine who said it wasn't necessary for the medical school to use ferrets because they could use simulators instead.
The university confirmed today that that ferrets are no longer used in neonatal intubation training laboratories.
The Washington-based committee filed a complaint against ECU in April with the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. In that complaint, the PCRM said it found that 190 of 200 pediatrics residency programs in the U.S., or 95% used non-animal methods to teach the procedure.
