Abstract
Although several important studies are noticed in the indirect method for measuring the blood pressure in mice, each of them involves some ambiguities in the values obtained because mice are too small to handle.
In mice or small laboratory animals, the direct method, which is performed by cannulation into the carotid artery, is so far admitted as the most reliable device.
In the present experiment, establishment of a systematized procedure, which is rather easy and widely applicable for physiological observations using small animals was intended. Since the cannulation in small experimental animal must be done without hemorrhage, the experiment was started from the modification of the method recently published by SUZUTA and OKUGI. Influences of electroshock as pretreatment in the authors' method reported in the previous paper were discussed at the same time, especially noticing the blood pressure.
The results summarized are as follws :
1) The cannulation into the carotid artery was achieved under drowsy state following the electroshock (30volt-3sec.) .
2) The head cervical region of mice were suitably fixed with clay on a board.
3) Weight of the cannula was possibly lightened and the point of the needle was blunted in order to avoid an unexpected damage of the artery.
4) The arterial blood pressure obtained in normal state was 79-132 mm Hg.
By using the modified method, observation or measurement of the carotid blood pressure in mice can be persued much more easily in any case: for example, even in the convulsion.
