A novel alternative placement site and technique for totally implantable vascular access ports in non‐human primates

Abstract

Vascular access port implantation by saphenous vein puncture or saphenous vein cutdown is safe and effective in NHPs. It is less invasive than conventional procedures, has fewer complications, provides outstanding patency, and reduces surgery time. Furthermore, it allows for cooperative in-homecage VAP use, minimizing handling stress. We recommend these refined methods for long-term vascular access in NHPs.

Successful implementation of cooperative handling eliminates the need for restraint in a complex non‐human primate disease model

“…Training is an intrinsic component of a multifactorial approach to meet our objective in improving the well‐being of animals that also includes refinements in surgical technique and drug administration [15, 16, 18]. The goal of our NHP training program is to develop cooperative behaviors for routine planned interactions and to improve coping skills for the situation that the animals are faced with a new stimulus to which they had not been exposed before.…”

“…Starting in June 2006, involving 52 animals, we developed a novel surgical method for VAP placement [18] to facilitate venous access in the homecage, and NHPs were trained to cooperate in medical procedures including hand feeding and drinking, shifting into transport boxes for weighing, and limb presentation (blood collection, drug administration, and basic physical examination).…”

“…Historically in our program, conventional ‘restraint‐based’ manipulations like manual chair restraint and chemical restraint were used to manage animals and perform routine research manipulations that led to ‘downtime’ from normal activities like exploration, feeding, grooming, and peer interactions. Recognizing an opportunity for refinement, alongside novel instrumentation techniques [15, 16, 18], we developed a training program focused on training subjects to reliably perform target behaviors that facilitate medical management in a chronic disease state and also bring certain aspects of the model closer to the clinical situation.…”

Cross‐validation of commercial enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay and radioimmunoassay for porcine C‐peptide concentration measurements in non‐human primate serum

“…We analyzed serum samples from 20 diabetic cynomolgus macaques enrolled in an islet xenotransplantation study. All animals were instrumented with central vascular access and portal venous access using anesthetic/analgesic approaches and surgical methods described previously by our group . The cohort for our study consisted of four females and 16 males.…”

Validity of animal models of type 1 diabetes, and strategies to enhance their utility in translational research

“…Successful management relies on frequent evaluation of a complete clinical pathology assessment and quick intervention including intensive nutrition, fluid management, insulin, and supportive care: it is strongly recommended to have proper protocols in place (Graham et al, 2012a). In the case of the NHP, vascular access ports are recommended to enable frequent blood sampling and intensive fluid management protocols in the familiar homecage, to avoid additional stressors and separation from the social cohort (Graham et al, 2009(Graham et al, , 2010. This should be combined with training for cooperative handling, also with the aim to avoid stressful situations especially in the case of animal wellbeing, and to enable the early detection of discomfort in animals so that an early and quick intervention can be started (Graham et al, 2012b).…”