Quantitative guidelines for evaluation of conservation media aimed at anatomical study of pig hearts

The use of anatomical parts to study veterinary anatomy is of great importance for professionals' training. The conservation of these parts should be the subject of constant investigation and research, since, when well preserved, they guarantee characteristics that are closer to those found naturally in living animals, such as morphology, coloration, consistency and flexibility. The objective of this study was to assess the effects of different preservatives on the morphological characteristics of pig hearts and to establish new quantitative parameters for this type of assessment. To this end, 20 pig hearts were dissected and fixed in 10% formaldehyde for ten days; subsequently, five groups with four hearts were subjected to different conservation methods: 10% formaldehyde, 70% alcohol, 30% saline, glycerin (with a dehydration phase consisting of 70% alcohol before and after the clearing phase). The quantitative variables evaluated were: mass, length, width, circumference, interventricular septum width, left and right ventricle thickness, and aorta diameter and thickness. The qualitative variables were: odor, texture, coloration and morphology. After statistical data analysis, it was observed that the 30% saline solution had an important effect on the conservation of the parts, when related to the quantitative variables, after three months of conservation. All conservation methods altered the coloration and odor morphological characteristics of the hearts, with said odor being characteristic of the solutions used. This research work is a pioneer in establishing new quantitative variables that can be adopted to evaluate different conservation methods. Additionally, new studies with a longer experimental period are suggested.