Quality of Adherence to the ARRIVE Guidelines in the Material and Methods Section in Studies Where Swine Were Used as Surgical Biomodels: A Systematic Review (2013–2018)

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Through a systematic review of reports where swine were used as animal biomodels for testing or researching new surgical techniques, we sought to determine the quality of the report of the methodologies carried out on the basis of the ARRIVE guidelines (Animal Research: Reporting of In Vivo Experiments) in a total of 108 studies from 2013 to 2018. In a large percentage of the articles, the information presented in the methodology of the studies showed incomplete data according to the ARRIVE guidelines recommendations for reporting the use of animals. There was a strong focus on descriptions of surgical techniques; however, sample size calculation, description of maintenance conditions, animal handling, and anesthetic and pain management protocols used were not very detailed. This could lead to the inability of others to replicate the described experiments. For this reason, we encourage authors to implement the ARRIVE guidelines to improve the quality of scientific reports and ensure animal welfare. ABSTRACT: Over the last two decades, pigs have become animal biomodels widely used for the investigation and practice of surgical techniques because of their great physiological and anatomical similarities to humans. Even though many of these studies must be carried out later in humans, the description of basic information is limited, making exact repetitions of the reported experimental methods impossible. In this review, 108 studies from 2013 to 2018 were considered to determine the quality of adherence to the ARRIVE guidelines in the reports of the methodologies. The majority of the studies lacked the details recommended in the ARRIVE guidelines regarding data directly related to the welfare of animals undergoing surgery and those about anesthetic protocols and analgesics. Information related to sample size calculation and housing and husbandry conditions was also very limited. We believe that the ARRIVE guidelines are an excellent tool for good-quality reporting. We encourage scientists to consistently use them as a tool to improve the quality of their scientific reports and, consequently, ensure animal welfare.