title: Chronic vascular catheters in growing piglets.
abstract: Chronic vascular catheterization of growing piglets is problematic because the animals grow rapidly and disrupt each others catheters when housed together. We successfully maintained chronic arterial and venous catheters in growing piglets for the first two months of life using the Vascular-Access-Port, a totally implantable catheter system. Two Vascular-Access-Ports (one venous and one arterial) were surgically placed in each of ten, 3-7 days-old piglets. Nine piglets survived the perioperative period, and for eight piglets the ports were successfully used for experimental purposes to infuse drugs, monitor arterial blood pressure and obtain blood samples for approximately two months. During this period the piglets averaged an eight-fold increase in body weight. This technique of chronic vascular catheterization is useful for experiments employing conscious, growing animals.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Zablocki, VA Medical Center, Milwaukee 53295.
authors.forename: B W
authors.initials: BW
authors.lastname: Palmisano
authors.forename: P S
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Clifford
authors.forename: R L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Coon
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn / Q000254:growth & development; D002406:Catheterization, Peripheral / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods*; D002408:Catheters, Indwelling; D018805:Sepsis / Q000209:etiology; D013552:Swine