Effects of experimenters and different blood sampling procedures on blood metabolite values in growing pigs

The aims of the present study were firstly to verify if sera obtained by jugular venipuncture and those obtained from an anterior vena cava cannula were comparable and secondly to observe the effect of different experimenters on the biochemical profile of pigs. In the first experiment, 16 Yorkshire pigs with a mean weight of 48.9 +/- 2.3 kg were venipunctured using either a vacuum tube system or a syringe. The experiment was conducted on two separate days, seven days apart, in a crossover design experiment. At the time of obtaining blood via venipuncture, blood was also withdrawn from the jugular cannula. The tip of the latter was in the anterior vena cava. No effect of the sampling system was observed. However, a significant decrease in serum concentrations of Na, P and CO2 and a significant increase in anion gap, total protein, albumin, globulin, total bilirubin, aspartate amniotransferase, L-gamma glutamyl-transferase and creatine kinase were observed from blood samples obtained by venipuncture. In the second experiment, ten pigs from the first experiment were sampled by an inexperienced manipulator. Variations of the same magnitude as observed in the first experiment were observed in sera obtained by venipuncture and anterior vena cava but 18 of the 22 biochemical variables of sera obtained from the anterior vena cava were significantly different than those from the first experiment. The results show that blood samples obtained by jugular venipuncture in pigs can differ from samples obtained from an anterior vena cava cannula, specially in enzyme concentrations, and the dexterity of the experimenter may have a major effect on blood values.