Large Volume Blood Collection from Swine for In Vitro Applications: Use of Intracardiac Cannulation and A Vacuum Pump...

Routine blood collection is required in many basic and applied research studies. Multiple methods for swine blood collection are well described. These include using the auricular veins for the collection of small blood volumes, and the jugular veins or cranial vena cava for the collection of larger blood volumes. Some experiments require large volumes of blood from one individual animal at one time for analysis or use in primary cell cultures, which can best be achieved through exsanguination. Blood collected for primary cell culture must be freshly and carefully processed to maintain cellular integrity. We describe a method of aseptically harvesting blood from swine under a surgical plane of anesthesia, using a large-bore intravascular catheter stylet inserted percutaneously into the heart and a vacuum pump, which is efficient, provides a large yield, and minimizes cell lysis. This technique is performed once on an animal, at a surgical plane of anesthesia, as a terminal procedure, providing minimal risk for pain or distress.