Laboratory Animals > Laboratory Animals Online First > 10.1258/la.2009.008122

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Original Article

Permanent catheterization of the carotid artery induces kidney infection and inflammation in the rat

Uno N K Fonseca ¹, Sanne Gram Nielsen ², Jann Hau ³ and Axel Kornerup Hansen ¹ 

¹ Department of Veterinary Disease Biology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Centre for Applied Laboratory Animal Research, Section of Biomedicine, University of Copenhagen, Dyrlaegevej 88, DK-1870 Frederiksberg C, Denmark; ² Centre for Applied Laboratory Animal Research, Animal Department 853, H Lundbeck A/S, Ottiliavej 9, DK-2500 Valby, Denmark; ³ Department of Experimental Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Centre for Applied Laboratory Animal Research, University of Copenhagen, Blegdamsvej 3B, DK-2200 Copenhagen N, Denmark

Corresponding author: A K Hansen. Email: akh{at}life.ku.dk

Catheterization of the carotid artery and the jugular vein is one of the most commonly applied techniques used to gain intravascular access in pharmacology studies on rodents. We catheterized 10 rats by conventional clean techniques, 10 rats by aseptic techniques and 10 rats by conventional clean techniques using a heparin-coated catheter rather than an ordinary non-coated polyvinyl chloride catheter. In all groups, approximately 80% of the rats developed kidney infection and 10–30% of the rats were septicaemic. Clinical chemistry did not indicate severe kidney damage, but serum haptoglobin and body temperature rises indicated an inflammatory response in rats independent of the surgical method. Heparin coating did not seem to improve the usability of the catheter. It is concluded that this commonly used method for catheterization has an impact on animals that may very well render them unsuitable for the purpose, e.g. pharmacological research, and therefore an alternative method would be preferable.

Key Words: Rat • kidney infection • catheterization • animal welfare

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