Blood Collection
4. Blood Collection. For additional information,
see the NIH Guidelines on Blood Collection from Rats and Mice as an
(Acrobat
.pdf file), and the UK Working Group recommendations on Blood
Collection as an Acrobat
.pdf file.
The CWRU IACUC has developed the following internal
guidelines for collecting blood from laboratory animals:
Cardiac Puncture. Cardiac puncture
is used to collect large volumes of blood rapidly,
usually from smaller species that do not have other
readily accessible means of collection (e.g., guinea
pigs, hamsters). Blind passage of the needle toward
the heart has the potential to cause pulmonary hemorrhage,
hemothorax or cardiac tamponade via laceration of large
blood vessels or laceration of the heart.
Cardiac puncture is permitted only under general anesthesia
and, unless approval of the full IACUC is obtained,
only as a terminal procedure for animals other than
guinea pigs and hamsters. Approval for survival cardiac
puncture will only be given to individuals qualified
by the appropriate experience and/or training.
Volume Limits on Blood Collection.
Overzealous bleeding can cause weakness, hypovolemia
or anemia. The maximum amount of blood that may be
withdrawn from an individual laboratory animal without
hematologic monitoring is 10ml/kg body weight (1% of
body weight) at two-week intervals.
Up to 15 ml/kg body weight (1.5% body weight) may
be withdrawn within a two-week period if the animal's
hematologic status is monitored via hematocrits taken
prior to each blood collection. The Animal Resource
Center diagnostic lab can perform this test on request.
Blood should be submitted in two microhematocrit tubes.
Submit only one 1/2 filled microhematocrit tube for
mice, hamsters and small rats. There is a $30.00 labor,
per hour charge plus diagnostics and supplies. Dates
of blood withdrawal and results of hematocrit tests
should be marked clearly on the animal's cage card.
Blood withdrawal in excess of 15 ml/kg at two-week
intervals must receive approval from the full IACUC.
The attending veterinarian in accordance with the
animal's clinical condition may modify Blood withdrawal
limits.
|
