Chronically indwelling venous cannula and automatic blood sampling system for use with nonhuman primates exposed to...

An automated blood sampling system was developed for use with tethered baboons (Papio cynocephalus) during concurrent exposure to 60 Hz 30 kV/m electric fields and 0.1 mT (1.0 G) magnetic fields. The system was controlled by a FORTH-based microcomputer, which operated a pump, a fraction collector, and two pinch valves. A swivel mechanism at the end of the tether allowed the baboons to move freely in their cages. The hardware and software were designed for fail-safe operation. Heparinized saline was infused at a rate of 0.5 mL/min until a sample cycle was initiated. Then, blood was drawn from the animal into a storage tube at a rate of 12.5 mL/min, a sample of undiluted blood was taken from the end of the storage tube near the baboon, and the blood remaining in the storage tube was then flushed back into the animal. Use of the storage tube prevented the peristaltic pump rollers from pressing on tubing containing blood, and return of the blood diluted with saline limited the blood wasted per sample to less than 0.5 mL. The system functioned reliably in three experiments, collecting samples as scheduled 97% of the time. Although it was initially designed for and used successfully with primates in an electric and magnetic field environment, this type of system could be employed in many areas of biomedical research or medical treatment.