Cardiac catheterization technique in a closed-chest murine model

Murine studies have been a mainstay of analyzing the effects of genetic manipulation on cardiac phenotype. Reliable and efficient methods to evaluate cardiac phenotype are necessary and need to be established. However, cardiac catheterization techniques for obtaining such data have not been standardized. The goal of this study was to establish a simple and less invasive technique for cardiac catheterization in a closed-chest mice model. Mice were anesthetized with a combination of ketamine and xylazine. The right common, internal, and external carotid arteries were isolated microscopically, and a 1.4 Fr. conductance catheter was inserted and advanced retrograde into the left ventricle (LV). LV hemodynamic parameters were measured. This simple technique enabled us to obtain more physiologic LV hemodynamics compared with those from open-chest models reported in literature. When combined with other techniques, such as echocardiography, more precise assessment of cardiac function can be achieved. Although potentially associated with a modest learning curve, this technique likely will be useful as a standard procedure for cardiac catheterization in mice.