Left Ventricular Pressure Volume Assessment Using Carotid Artery Access in the Rat

Left ventricular (LV) catheterization with either a pressure catheter or pressure-volume catheter provides a means to measure cardiac function, an important endpoint in many studies including cardiac gene therapy. While the catheter can be inserted directly into the heart using a surgical approach, utilizing the carotid artery for access has the advantage of being a closed-chest procedure. This negates the need for intubation, prevents myocardial trauma, and preserves normal intrathoracic pressure, providing more accurate assessments of cardiac physiology parameters. We describe a protocol for obtaining carotid artery access and insertion of a pressure-volume catheter into the LV of rodents.