Blood Pressure transducers

Solid state and fuild-field

emka TECHNOLOGIES offers blood pressure catheters for use with rodents (mice and rats) and large animals (from rabbits to cows):

emka Blood Pressure Transducer is a fluid filled catheter, adapted to the size of the artery, ideal for blood pressure measurements in the range of -50 to + 300 mmHg.

Transonic Scisense Catheters offer solid-state sensors mounted at the tip, to measure pressures with a high degree of precision. They are ideal for arterial, venous or cardiac pressures due to the solid-state sensor’s ability to accurately respond to minute and rapid changes in pressure.

Compatible Animals

Applications

Vascular biology

Heart failure & cardiac model development

Techniques & Measurements

Solid state pressure

A solid state sensor contains a piezoresistive membrane, which is an electromechanical systems that react to compression¹. Placed at the tip of the catheter, this flexible membrane is in direct contact with the blood, and generates a voltage when deformed by the blood pressure. The force of the blood pressure is then transmitted to an amplifier, through the catheter’s wires housed into a polyimide tubing.

¹ Piezoelectric sensor definition from Wikipedia.

Output Parameters:

2 independent pressure channels

Fluid-filled pressure

As it names implies, a fluid-filled catheter is filled with a fluid. The blood pressure is applied at the catheter tip and transmitted through the fluid to the proximal side of the tubing, where the sensor is located.

Output Parameter:

1 pressure channel

Features & Benefits

Solid state pressure

Accurate: with a hight natural frequency response, measurements such as dP/dt are very accurate, especially in rodents
Sensitive: Stable zero baseline with low or negligible offset.
Ideal balance of flexibility and rigidity, with polyamide tubing
Ease of use: Tactile-button operation and system menus, 2 point electronic calibration with balance controls for each pressure channel.

Fluid-filled pressure

Cost-effective
Calibrated and temperature-compensated
Easy removal of air bubbles, with its in-line design

Compatible software

IOX2, data acquisition software

Configurations and Extensions

A typical setup includes:

A Fluid filled catheters + sensor or Solid State catheters.
An acquisition computer equipped with IOX2 acquisition software

For Fluid filled catheters :

usbAMP (direct connection to fluid filled cathethers) or easyMATRIX3 device, to interface with the acquisition computer.

For Solid state pressure catheters:

An usbACQ
A SP200 Pressure Control Unit: This dual-amplifier control box is used to amplify and condition the signal.

Specifications

Solid state pressure

Catheter size is based on animal weight and application. Small vessel applications may require a smaller size than the listed suggestion.

All 7.0F Catheters are available with an optional lumen to allow drug administration, blood sampling or guide wire insertion.