A simple method for obtaining blood pressure in rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta)

A relatively simple procedure was devised to obtain blood pressures in rhesus monkeys. This procedure utilized a polygraph, pulse transducer, pressure transducer, blood pressure mixer unit, and pediatric sphygmomanometer cuff. Previous attempts to auscultate the Korotkoff sounds by use of a sphygmomanometer cuff and stethoscope were unsuccessful. Blood pressure can be obtained by cannulation of the femoral artery, but repeated puncture may cause serious trauma to the arterial wall. This procedure was developed and used in our laboratory to obtain repeated blood pressures over a 90-da period. Results from using the cuff and polygraph have been shown to correlate favorably with cannulation of the femoral artery.