A novel device and training techniques enable safe and feasible standing awake echocardiography in miniature pigs, avoiding the hemodynamic alterations caused by anesthetics and sedatives.
A novel device and training method enables awake echocardiography in minipigs, eliminating the confounding cardiovascular effects of anesthesia in preclinical models.
Echocardiography uses ultrasonic waves to non-invasively assess cardiac structure and function and is the standard of care for cardiac assessment and monitoring. The miniature pig, or minipig, is increasingly being used as a model of cardiac disease in medical research. Pigs are notoriously difficult to restrain and handle safely, and, therefore, research echocardiography in this species is almost always performed under anesthesia or heavy sedation. Anesthetics and sedatives universally affect cardiovascular function and may cause the depression of cardiac output and blood pressure, increases or decreases in heart rate and systemic vascular resistance, changes in the electrical rhythm, and altered coronary blood flow. Therefore, sedated or anesthetized echocardiography may not accurately depict the progression of cardiac disease in large animal models, thereby limiting the translational value of these important studies. This paper describes a novel device that allows for standing awake echocardiography in minipigs. In addition, training techniques used to teach pigs to tolerate this painless and non-invasive procedure without the need for hemodynamic-altering anesthetics are described. Standing awake echocardiography represents a safe and feasible way to perform the most common cardiac monitoring test in minipigs for cardiovascular research.
Hogen et al. (Fri,) conducted a other in Cardiac disease models in miniature pigs. Standing awake echocardiography using a novel device and training techniques vs. Sedated or anesthetized echocardiography was evaluated. A novel device and training techniques enable safe and feasible standing awake echocardiography in miniature pigs, avoiding the hemodynamic alterations caused by anesthetics and sedatives.