cateterizzazione non invasiva della vena auricolare per prelievi frequenti nella specie suina

In the modern swine farming often the clinical problems are complex and the diagnosis requires frequent blood samples for several days to assess various biomedical parameters. Several techniques for the collection of swine blood samples are currently in use but most of them involve surgical procedures under general anaesthesia. Several techniques for ear vein catheterization have been developed but they have been tested only for few days. Aim- The aim of this study was to test a non-invasive venous catheterization in swine that allows frequent sampling for several days without any invasive intervention and with minimum disturbance to the animal. Materials and methods - For this study 20 pluriparous sows have been used. The technique involved the implantation of a catheter, with a "through the needle" technique, via the lateral or medial ear vein. The adopted catheters were: Dog Catheter (PVC IV 1.3 × 300 mm-4FG) (n°=10 sows) and Polyetilene Tubing I.D 0.76 mm (0.030" inch) O.D. 1.22 (0.048") 90-120 cm, (n°=10 sows). Frequent blood samplings have been performed every 15 minutes for 6h from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. for 10 days consecutively or until the catheter was functional. Results - The ear vein catheterization with Polyetilene Tubing has been performed in 16-17 minutes and remained patent for 8-9 days, while the catheterization with the Dog Catheter required 21-23 minutes and remained patent for 4- 5 days. During the trial the pig behaved normally, presented a good appetite and normal body temperature. Conclusion - The permanent ear venous cannulation enables to collect sequential blood samples for several days with minimum restraint of the animal, it does not require surgical procedures under general anaesthesia and it can be applied routinely in the farm.