Erratum: Subclavian Vein Blood Sampling in Conscious Rats

Abstract

This corrects the article 10.3791/66075

Protocol

An erratum was issued for: Subclavian Vein Blood Sampling in Conscious Rats. The Discussion section was updated.

The third paragraph in the Discussion section was updated from:

In this study, the failure of blood sampling mainly occurred on day 4, which may be related to repeated punctures causing damage to the veins. During the first blood sampling, there was a noticeable sensation of penetration as the needle pierced the blood vessel. As the number of blood samples increased, this sensation diminished, prolonging blood collection and increasing the failure rate. Therefore, after each blood collection, local pressure hemostasis is necessary to promote vascular repair and prevent local hematoma formation. It is also recommended to try a finer needle, such as an insulin needle, for blood collection. Once puncture fails on one side, the puncture site should be applied with compression and the rat should be allowed to rest for a few minutes before changing to the contralateral side for blood collection. For intensive blood sampling required for pharmacokinetics experiments, it is better to alternately collect blood from the left and right subclavian veins. In cases where it is truly unavailable, other methods of blood collection may be complemented.

to:

In our study, the main occurrence of blood draw failure was on day 4, which might be related to the venous damage caused by repeated punctures. Repeated punctures can lead to damage of the vascular wall and provoke an inflammatory response, causing the vascular wall to thicken and harden, and even induce vascular narrowing. If hemostasis is inadequate after puncture, the extravasated blood can further cause tissue edema and inflammation, subsequently leading to the formation of scar tissue. These scar tissues are tough to penetrate and can also pull and cause blood vessels to shift position, all of which make the blood vessels more difficult to locate and puncture. In our study, a 26G syringe (0.45mm) was used for blood collection, which is fine relative to human veins but still causes considerable damage to rat veins. This is evidenced by the clear sensation of penetration when the needle passes through the vessel during the first blood draw, which diminishes as the number of blood draws increases, with longer blood collection times and higher failure rates. Therefore, we recommend using a finer insulin needle for blood collection, and adequate pressure should be applied after blood collection to prevent hematoma formation, and alternate blood draws should be performed to allow sufficient venous repair. In our experience, a well-trained phlebotomist can use a 26G needle to alternately draw blood from the bilateral subclavian veins of the same rat 8-10 times within 24 hours, with an average interval of 2-3 hours between each blood draw. However, the maximum number of blood draws a rat can tolerate, the recovery period, and the blood draw cycle may be influenced by the needle gauge used, the blood draw intervals required by different experiments, and the proficiency of the phlebotomist. These factors need to be further explored in future research. For intensive blood sampling required for pharmacokinetics experiments, it is better to alternately collect blood from the left and right subclavian veins. In cases where it is truly unavailable, other methods of blood collection may be complemented.