Successful Modification of a Rodent Surgical Procedure and Device for Vascular Access in Minipigs (Vascular Access Button)

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Adrian Zeltner discusses the innovative use of the Rat Vascular Access Button in Göttingen Minipigs to streamline blood sampling and infusion.

Infusion and serial blood sampling are often important technical aspects of an experimental design. Superficial vessels in the minipig are few and frequently accessing them is a challenge. Although minipigs have a convenient size for handling, restraint and venipuncture can be stressful and affect blood parameters. Therefore, when experiments require infusion or frequent blood sampling, catheterization is often the best option, both ethically and scientifically.

The implantation of Vascular Access ports and Seldinger Catheters is described and published in various variations. To add another option when choosing the optimal study design, the Rat Vascular Access Button™ in Göttingen Minipigs was tested. The port allows up to four catheters to be connected and opens the possibility to sample and dose via one port but through different catheters. Adrian did several preliminary studies before the system had matured to be used in proper pharmacokinetic studies. Based on feedback from these studies, the implantation procedure has been continuously refined and improved. This has resulted in more than 200 Göttingen Minipigs that have been successfully implanted with Vascular Access Buttons.

Key Topics:

• Understand the challenges and limitations of traditional blood sampling and infusion methods in Göttingen Minipigs


• Explore the advantages and adaptability of the Rat Vascular Access Button for efficient blood sampling and dosing


• Strategies for thinking outside the box to enhance experimental design in animal studies