Comparison among different methods for blood pressure monitoring in rats: literature review

Abstract

Blood pressure is a cardinal vital sign that gives important information about the cardiovascular function and about hemodynamic trends during anaesthesia, in critical ill patients and during experimental procedures (Rehman and Nelson, 2018). Arterial blood pressure can be evaluated by direct technique (arterial catheter) or indirect technique (Doppler or oscillometry). Direct measurement is gold standard for blood pressure measurement, giving accurate beat-to-beat information and also allow collection of blood samples. However, it is more invasive and requires equipment for monitoring and experience to place the arterial catheter (Araghi et al., 2006; Ward and Langton, 2007; Wingfield and Raffe, 2002). Given its importance in directing care, it is essential to measure blood pressure accurately and consistently.The aim of this article is to present all technique found in literature, with its advantages and disadvantages, with the errors that may occur so that the researchers can have a better knowledge before choosing their technique. For this study we took into consideration articles from literature and speciality books from which we extracted the information reliable for the study. Experimental studies on small laboratory animals, particularly rats are widely used as a model. Three methods are used for recording the blood pressure in rats: tail cuff (indirect technique), intra-arterial catheters (direct technique), and radio telemetry. Each technique has its advantages and disadvantages and each of it may lead to erroneous data if they are improperly performed. The vast ranges of these errors highlight the importance of adhering to appropriate technique when measuring blood pressure.

Arterial Catheterization in Great Apes

“…Although many indirect methods for intermittent estimation of blood pressure exist (e.g., oscillometric machines 14 and Doppler ultrasonic flow probes), invasive blood pressure provides superior accuracy and also displays a continuous reading. 4 In chimpanzees ( Pan troglodytes ), for example, the level of agreement between brachial oscillometric systolic and diastolic readings and all oscillometric readings from a forelimb digit was insufficient in detecting hypotension. 16 Another study investigating two different oscillometric blood pressure machines compared with a chimpanzee's femoral invasive blood pressure had similar results, with the oscillometric devices failing to meet the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine recommended criteria for machine validation.…”

Reliability of Rodent and Rabbit Models in Preeclampsia Research

“…Invasive methods, such as telemetric probes, entail surgery with a high risk of mortality due to thrombosis, blood loss, or systemic infection. Moreover, these methods increase the stress experienced by the animal, and the size of the probe has to be matched to the size of the animal, which changes considerably over the course of gestation [93,94]. Additionally, the experimental tools are not readily available for mechanistic analyses of placentation in hamsters and guinea pigs [17], and the downstream laboratory examinations of samples obtained from these animals require reagents dedicated to the studied animals.…”

Vascular catheterization in small laboratory animals in biomedical research: technological aspects of the method (review article)

“…Биомониторинг. Методом катетеризации имплантируют различные датчики и химические сенсоры, что позволяет в режиме онлайн на протяжении длительного времени непрерывно измерять температуру, систолическое, диастолическое и пульсовое давление, частоту пульса, концентрацию глюкозы, газов крови и другие параметры у свободно передвигающегося животного [12][13][14][15][16].…”