ABSTRACT
Postoperative care guidelines have been recommended for application to major survival surgical procedures in rodents in the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals established by National Institutes of Health, concomitant with the Public Health Service Policy on Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals. Animals may exhibit systemic hyperthermia or hypothermia after stroke surgery, depending on the type of model. Adequate nutrition is necessary in postoperative animals. Postoperative care programs should be considered and designed before commencing any experimental procedures. Using antibiotics for long-term postoperative care is not recommended in rodents. Management of postoperative pain in the context of stroke is quite different from that in other surgeries because analgesics are known to produce neuroprotective effects. Useful parameters for assessing postoperative pain in rats are activity, appearance, vocalization, and body weight and feeding behavior changes.
