Name: simultaneous electrocardiography recording and invasive blood pressure measurement in rats
Uploaded: 2019-01-31T14:30:00
Description: Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Simultaneous Electrocardiography Recording and Invasive Blood Pressure Measurement in Rats at JoVE.com

This study was supported by Taiwan Ministry of Science and Technology grants MOST 104-2314-B-037-080-MY3 and MOST 107-2314-B-037-110 to HCL and Taiwan National Health Research Institutes grant NHRI-EX107-10724SC.

All the animal experiments described were approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee of Kaohsiung Medical University.
1. Animal Care
<ol>
	<li>To avoid difficult cannulation due to small arterial size, use rats with body weight over 200 g.</li>
	<li>Remove chow from the cage and fast rats overnight.</li>
	<li>Offer water ad libidum unless there is a special experimental design.</li>
</ol>
2. Experimental Preparation
<ol>
	<li>Obtain the following ma...

<ol>
	<li>Shiou, Y. -. L., Huang, I. C., Lin, H. -. T., Lee, H. -. C. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=High+fat+diet+aggravates+atrial+and+ventricular+remodeling+of+hypertensive+heart+disease+in+aging+rats.">High fat diet aggravates atrial and ventricular remodeling of hypertensive heart disease in aging rats.</a> Journal of the Formosan Medical Association. , (2017).</li><li>Parasuraman, S., Raveendran, R. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Measurement+of+invasive+blood+pressure+in+rats.">Measurement of invasive blood pressure in rats.</a> Journal of Pharmacology, Pharmacotherapeutics. 3 (2), 172-177 (2012).</li><li>Fink, G. D. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Does+Tail-Cuff+Plethysmography+Provide+a+Reliable+Estimate+of+Central+Blood+Pressure+in+Mice?.">Does Tail-Cuff Plethysmography Provide a Reliable Estimate of Central Blood Pressure in Mice?.</a> Journal of the American Heart Association: Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Disease. 6 (6), e006554 (2017).</li><li>Wilde, E., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Tail-Cuff+Technique+and+Its+Influence+on+Central+Blood+Pressure+in+the+Mouse.">Tail-Cuff Technique and Its Influence on Central Blood Pressure in the Mouse.</a> Journal of the American Heart Association: Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Disease. 6 (6), (2017).</li><li>Braga, V. A., Prabhakar, N. R. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Refinement+of+Telemetry+for+Measuring+Blood+Pressure+in+Conscious+Rats.">Refinement of Telemetry for Measuring Blood Pressure in Conscious Rats.</a> Journal of the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science : JAALAS. 48 (3), 268-271 (2009).</li><li>Kaese, S., Verheule, S. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Cardiac+electrophysiology+in+mice:+a+matter+of+size.">Cardiac electrophysiology in mice: a matter of size.</a> Frontiers in Physiology. 3 (345), (2012).</li><li>Okamoto, K., Aoki, K. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Development+of+a+strain+of+spontaneously+hypertensive+rats.">Development of a strain of spontaneously hypertensive rats.</a> Japanese Circulation Journal. 27, 282-293 (1963).</li><li>Van Vliet, B. N., Chafe, L. L., Antic, V., Schnyder-Candrian, S., Montani, J. P. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Direct+and+indirect+methods+used+to+study+arterial+blood+pressure.">Direct and indirect methods used to study arterial blood pressure.</a> Journal of Pharmacological and Toxicological Methods. 44 (2), 361-373 (2000).</li><li>Alam, M. A., Parks, C., Mancarella, S. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Long-term+Blood+Pressure+Measurement+in+Freely+Moving+Mice+Using+Telemetry.">Long-term Blood Pressure Measurement in Freely Moving Mice Using Telemetry.</a> Journal of Visualized Experiments. (111), e53991 (2016).</li><li>Irvine, R. J., White, J., Chan, R. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=The+influence+of+restraint+on+blood+pressure+in+the+rat.">The influence of restraint on blood pressure in the rat.</a> Journal of Pharmacological and Toxicological Methods. 38 (3), 157-162 (1997).</li><li>Nvd Vosse, F., Stergiopulos, N. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Pulse+Wave+Propagation+in+the+Arterial+Tree.">Pulse Wave Propagation in the Arterial Tree.</a> Annual Review of Fluid Mechanics. 43 (1), 467-499 (2011).</li><li>Cosson, E., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Aortic+stiffness+and+pulse+pressure+amplification+in+Wistar-Kyoto+and+spontaneously+hypertensive+rats.">Aortic stiffness and pulse pressure amplification in Wistar-Kyoto and spontaneously hypertensive rats.</a> The American Journal of Physiology: Heart and Circulatory Physiology. 292 (5), H2506-H2512 (2007).</li></ol>

Invasive arterial cannulation allows highly accurate measurement of BP. It can be done with a PE tube without requiring an expensive catheter. Invasive BP measurement can also be performed simultaneously with a recording of the surface ECG.
The major learning curve for this method is the experimental skill required to cannulate small blood vessels. In experienced hands, the successful rate for femoral artery cannulation can approach 100%. Practice is recommended before performing real&#160;exp...

Blood pressure (BP) and electrocardiography (ECG) are basic parameters for cardiovascular physiology and medicine. Experimental animal models have been widely applied in biomedical research for various cardiovascular diseases such as hypertensive heart failure1 and procedures for ECG recording and BP measurement can be performed in experimental rats.
There are three methods for BP measurement in rats: intra-arterial cannulation (invasive)2, tail cuff plethysmography (noninvasive)3, and radio telemetry (invasive). The reliability of BP measurement by tail cuff plethysmography can be affected by animal handling during the recording. For example, the tail cuff underestimates the core BP changes that occur simultaneously during the restraint and measurement phases4. Radio telemetry is considered the best &#34;gold standard&#34; technique for monitoring BP and heart rate in awake and freely moving animals5. However, since radio telemetry hardware and software are costly, intra-arterial cannulation is also widely used as an economical alternative.
Intra-arterial cannulation requires considerable microsurgical skill but yields the real waveforms of arterial pressure. BP can be recorded through a saline-filled catheter inserted in the radial, femoral, or brachial artery. This method of direct invasive BP measurement requires pre-surgical animal preparation, anesthesia, immobilization of laboratory animals, surgical skill in tissue dissection and arterial cannulation, and proper calibration before acquiring the measurement.
Rodent surface ECG is similar to human ECG. A rat ECG has sequences of P waves, QRS complexes, T waves, and QT intervals6. The P wave, PR interval, QRS complex, and T waves reflect atrial depolarization, impulse conduction from the atrial to the AV node, ventricular depolarization, and repolarization, respectively. The QT interval is defined as the period from the initiation of the Q wave to the end-point of the T wave where it returns to the iso-electrical baseline1.
The ECG indicates the cardiac systole and diastole phases; therefore, the simultaneous recording of the surface ECG correlates with the invasive BP measurement. By using a combination of methodologies, it is possible to elucidate pathophysiological changes in a disease model or the pharmacological effects of a drug or therapy in cardiovascular medicine.
A spontaneous hypertensive rat (SHR) strain had been obtained by inbreeding of Wistar rats with high BP in Japan. The BP rises from 5 to 10 weeks of age and becomes stationary from 30 to 35 weeks of age7. Wistar-Kyoto rats (WKY) have systolic BP about 130 mmHg7 and are commonly used as normo-tensive control. We used SHR and WKY to demonstrate the result of intraarterial cannulation BP and ECG recording.

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	<tbody>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:215px;">Polyethylene tube</td>
			<td style="width:212px;">BECTON DICKINSON</td>
			<td style="width:131px;">427401</td>
			<td style="width:544px;">internal diameter of 0.5 mm, outer diameter of 0.9 mm</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:215px;">26G x 1/2&#34;&#34; needle</td>
			<td style="width:212px;">TERUMO</td>
			<td style="width:131px;">160426D</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:215px;">Adson Forceps</td>
			<td style="width:212px;">TOP Line</td>
			<td>12-540</td>
			<td style="width:544px;">12 cm (4.75&#34;) Long, Straight, 1 x 2 Teeth</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:215px;">Bulldog vascular clamp</td>
			<td style="width:212px;">Teleflex</td>
			<td style="width:131px;">357581</td>
			<td>8 mm</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:215px;">Computer&#160;</td>
			<td style="width:212px;">AUSUS</td>
			<td style="width:131px;">X453M</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="42">
			<td height="42" style="height:42px;width:215px;">Exernal analog signal recording device</td>
			<td style="width:212px;">iWorx</td>
			<td style="width:131px;">T5141538</td>
			<td>This allows the recording of up to three channels of ECG, EMG or EEG as well as GSR (skin conductance) from a single iWire input on the recording Module.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:215px;">Graefe Forceps</td>
			<td>AESCULAP Surgical Instruments</td>
			<td>BD312R</td>
			<td>MICRO DRESSING FORCEPS, CURVED, SERRATED, 105 mm, 4 1/8&#160;</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:215px;">Mecury sphygmomanometer</td>
			<td style="width:212px;">Spirit</td>
			<td style="width:131px;">CK-101</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:215px;">Pressure transducer</td>
			<td style="width:212px;">iWorx</td>
			<td style="width:131px;">IworxBP100</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:215px;">Semken Forceps</td>
			<td>MEDE TECHNIK</td>
			<td>10-104</td>
			<td>100 mm</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:215px;">Software</td>
			<td style="width:212px;">LabScribe3</td>
			<td style="width:131px;"></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:215px;">Surgical scissors</td>
			<td>HEBU</td>
			<td style="width:131px;">1714</td>
			<td>14.5 cm long</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:215px;">Syringe (1 mL)</td>
			<td style="width:212px;">TERUMO</td>
			<td style="width:131px;">160426D</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:215px;">Three-way stopcocks</td>
			<td style="width:212px;">Cole-Parmer</td>
			<td>EW-30600-23</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:215px;">Tipped forceps</td>
			<td style="width:212px;">World Precision Instruments</td>
			<td style="width:131px;">504506</td>
			<td>11 cm long, 0.1x0.06 mm Tips</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:215px;">Vannas Scissors</td>
			<td style="width:212px;">World Precision Instruments</td>
			<td>500086</td>
			<td>8.5 cm long, Straight, 0.025 x 0.015 mm Tips, 7mm super fine Blades</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

simultaneous electrocardiography recording and invasive blood pressure measurement in rats

For studies related to cardiovascular physiology or pathophysiology, blood pressure (BP) and electrocardiography are basic observational parameters. Research focusing on cardiovascular disease models, potential cardiovascular therapeutic targets or pharmaceutical agents requires assessment of systemic arterial pressure and heart rhythm changes. In situations where radio telemetry systems are not available or affordable, the technique of femoral artery cannulation is an alternative way to obtain intra-arterial pressure waveform recordings and systemic BP measurements. This technique is economical and can be performed with standard equipment in animal facilities. However, invasive arterial pressure recording requires cannulation of small arteries, which can be a challenging surgical skill. Here, we present step-by-step protocols for femoral artery cannulation procedures. Key procedures include the calibration of the data acquisition system, tissue dissection and femoral artery cannulation, and setup of the arterial cannulation system for pressure recording. Surface electrocardiography recording procedures are also included. We also present examples of BP recordings from normotensive and hypertensive rats. This protocol allows reliable direct recordings of systemic BP with simultaneous electrocardiography.

We purchased SHR and normotensive Wistar-Kyoto WKY rats from the National Laboratory Animal Center (Taipei, Taiwan). All animals were housed in a temperature-controlled facility (20&#8722;22 &#176;C) with free access to water and standard chow on a 12 h light/dark cycle.
We used six 47-week-old rats and they were weighed before the BP and ECG measurement. The representative tracings from simultaneous recording of ECG and BP in S...

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Simultaneous Electrocardiography Recording and Invasive Blood Pressure Measurement in Rats at JoVE.com

Simultaneous Electrocardiography Recording and Invasive Blood Pressure Measurement in Rats

Here, we describe a setup for simultaneous recording of electrocardiography and intra-arterial blood pressure (BP) in experimental rats, which can be done with standard equipment in animal facilities and can be applied to physiological or pharmacological studies to investigate pathogenic or therapeutic mechanisms in cardiovascular medicine.

For studies related to cardiovascular physiology or pathophysiology, blood pressure (BP) and electrocardiography are basic observational parameters. ...

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