Arterial Pressure Monitoring in Mice

The use of mice for the evaluation and study of cardiovascular pathophysiology is growing rapidly, primarily due to the relative ease for developing genetically engineered mouse models. Arterial pressure monitoring is central to the evaluation of the phenotypic changes associated with cardiovascular pathology and interventions in these transgenic and knockout models. There are four major techniques for measuring arterial pressure in the mouse: tail cuff system, implanted fluid filled catheters, Millar catheters and implanted telemetry systems. Here we provide protocols for their use and discuss the advantages and limitations for each of these techniques .