Measuring blood pressure in mice using volume pressure recording, a tail-cuff method

Area of Science:

• Physiology
• Biomedical Engineering
• Animal Models

Background:

• Accurate non-invasive blood pressure measurement in rodents is crucial for preclinical research.
• Traditional methods can be invasive, time-consuming, or difficult to apply to diverse rodent populations.
• The need for high-throughput, reliable cardiovascular monitoring in small animal models is increasing.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce and describe the CODA 8-Channel High Throughput Non-Invasive Blood Pressure system.
• To highlight the Volume Pressure Recording (VPR) technology for rodent blood pressure assessment.
• To detail the system's capabilities for simultaneous measurement in multiple animals.

Main Methods:

• Utilizes a tail-cuff system with Volume Pressure Recording (VPR) technology.
• Employs a specially designed differential pressure transducer and occlusion cuff to measure tail blood volume.
• Accommodates up to 8 mice or rats simultaneously, with various holder sizes for weights from 8g to 900g.

Main Results:

• The system measures six blood pressure parameters: systolic and diastolic blood pressure, heart rate, mean blood pressure, tail blood flow, and tail blood volume.
• Provides accurate readings on dark-skinned rodents (e.g., C57BL6 mice) and is MRI compatible.
• Allows measurements on both awake and anesthetized animals.

Conclusions:

• The CODA 8-Channel system offers a high-throughput, non-invasive solution for rodent blood pressure monitoring.
• VPR technology enables accurate and versatile measurements across different rodent types and conditions.
• The system supports comprehensive cardiovascular assessment in preclinical research settings.