Morbidity and mortality rates associated with serial bleeding from the superficial temporal vein in mice

The authors reviewed 3 years' worth of records of superficial temporal vein phlebotomies that had been carried out in Balb/c mice. Mice that had undergone the phlebotomies had a mortality rate of approximately 1% (4 deaths per 490 procedures). Although the mice were being used in a drug study, necropsy and blood assay results suggest that the four deaths were caused by failure to stop the bleeding after the phlebotomies. The authors offer suggestions for improving morbidity and mortality associated with temporal vein phlebotomy.