Safety and blood sample volume and quality of a refined retro-orbital bleeding technique in rats using a lateral approach. Lab Anim (NY) 2014 Feb;43(2):63-6
Date
01/24/2014Pubmed ID
24451361Pubmed Central ID
PMC3989930DOI
10.1038/laban.432Scopus ID
2-s2.0-84892989748 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site) 54 CitationsAbstract
The collection of blood samples from laboratory rats requires the use of bleeding techniques that provide quality samples of sufficient volume for analysis without injury to the animal. Retro-orbital bleeding (ROB) is a phlebotomy technique that can yield high-quality samples of adequate volume, but it has been criticized for its potential to cause injury. To evaluate the injury-causing potential of their refined ROB method using a lateral approach, the authors retrospectively reviewed ROB procedures carried out in their colony during an 18-month period and found that 0.6% of these procedures were associated with ocular injury. The authors also compared the quality of blood samples collected by ROB and by saphenous phlebotomy and found that ROB yielded samples of better quality. The authors conclude that, when done using a lateral approach and by an experienced technician, ROB is humane and safe and provides blood samples of adequate volume and quality for analysis.
Author List
Sharma A, Fish BL, Moulder JE, Medhora M, Baker JE, Mader M, Cohen EPAuthor
John E. Baker PhD Professor in the Surgery department at Medical College of WisconsinMESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold
AnimalsBlood Specimen Collection
Orbit
Phlebotomy
Rats
Retrospective Studies