Non-invasive Blood Pressure

This page describes equipment for measuring Non-invasive Blood Pressure (NIBP) in rodents (and other animals). For NIBP in humans, pleased see Data Acquisition Systems (NIBP integrated with other physiological measurements).

Harvard Cuff/Pulse Transducers

These integrated cuffs and transducers are available in 5 sizes, suitable for rodents from 75 g to 750 g.

• Replaceable latex cuff sleeve is retained in the cuffs by O-rings
• Photoelectric pulse sensor detects tail pulsations

For tail-cuff inflation, this manual rubber-bulb cuff inflator is ideal. It may be used with a single tail cuff, or (using appropriate tubing joiners) may be used with multiple cuffs simultaneously if you have a data acquisition system to record the pressure and tail pulsations.

• Integral pressure gauge reading 0 to 300 mmHg
• Large clear dial makes it easy to read the pressure
• Comfortable trigger grip at the rear gives excellent control over slow release of pressure

Heated Restrainers

These acrylic rodent restrainers are ideal for tail blood sampling or blood pressure measurement.

• Available in 4 sizes: mice to 700g rats
• Heating by waterproof pad with integral thermostat, maintaining 37.8 ºC
• Length adjustable by slots for removable headgate
• Also available in unheated version

Data Acquisition

For rat-tail BP Data Acquisition combined with other physiological measurements, we recommend the Biopac MP100 System. This easy and versatile system is available for Windows or Macintosh, and is ideal for all sorts of laboratory recording, not just for NIBP.

• Dedicated NIBP amplifier, including built-in cuff pump
• Easy cursor-based measurement of systolic pressure
• Extendible with other amplifiers and transducers for other physiological measurements
• For more details please see our Data Acquisition Systems

Panlab's Integrated System

Panlab's NIPB system provides an easy and reliable technique to measure systemic blood pressure and cardiovascular parameters in rodents without any invasive catheterisation. The pulse signal level ( heart rate) is permanently monitored on the LCD display while an internal pressure transducer is constantly measuring the current pressure applied on the cuff. Measurement process involves several steps which are performed automatically; systolic and diastolic blood pressure and calculated mean blood pressure are visualized in real-time in the digital display of the control unit. The unit has optional Windows-based software with a USB connection to the amplifier/pump module.

For measurements with multiple animals, switching units are available to enable measurements to ve made from up to 12 animals without re-positioning the cuffs.