Refinement of telemetry for measuring blood pressure in conscious rats

Although considered the 'gold standard' for measuring blood pressure in laboratory animals, telemetry would benefit from refinement. In the present study, we tested the hypothesis that the small telemetric device used for blood pressure recording in mice would work for rats as well and would serve as an alternative for those studies where abdominal cavity space is quite limited (such as in young animals and pregnant females). Here we report that the use of a smaller and lighter telemetric device implanted in the abdominal aorta of rats led to acquisition of stable and high-quality blood pressure and heart rate data, similar to those obtained by using a larger telemetric device developed for rats. The use of smaller transmitters represents an alternative telemetry technique, especially for those cases in which space in the abdominal cavity is particularly limited such as during pregnancy.