Two Channel Vascular Access Button™ for Miniature Pigs

In 2017 Ellegaard Göttingen Minipigs tested Instech's rat Vascular Access Button™ as an alternative to traditional subcutanteous vascular access ports for IV dosing and blood sampling. The VABs are available with multiple ports and you do not need to puncture the skin to access them. Later, Instech and Ellegaard developed a special version with a longer stalk for animals with thicker skin.

• VABR2B/22 - standard 2-port rat button with 3.5mm gap between felt and flange (also available with 1, 3 or 4 ports)
• VABP72B/22 - special 2-port minipig button with 7mm gap between felt and flange

Pigs will remove the protective magnetic aluminum cap for rats quickly; use the VABRC-440 with a set screw instead. Access the ports with syringes fitted with the PNP3M injectors. Custom right-angle extension sets are available to connect the buttons to jacketed ambulatory pumps.

Instech is a rodent-focused company and can provide no technical support for the use of this product in miniature swine or other large animals. For guidance on surgery and use, please contact Adrian Zeltner at aze Consulting in Denmark.

References

• Implantation of Rat Vascular Access Buttons in Göttingen Minipigs, Zeltner A, Ellegaard, ASR 2018.
• The Use of Modified Rat Vascular Access Buttons to Refine Repeat Blood Sample Collection in Miniature Pigs, Brierley L, Frontage Laboratories, 2019.
• Advancing Ethical Standard in Minipig Studies, Reijinaers M, Charles River Den Bosch.