A cat head model with isolated perfusion by the animal's own blood.

A model consisting of a cat head perfused in isolation with the animal's own blood is described. The use of endogenous blood allows the organ to function under physiological conditions for several hours. The blood is taken from the abdominal aorta of the anaesthetized animal and passed to the carotid arteries via an extracorporeal circulation system. The perfusion pressure can be varied at will and is regulated electronically. The volume of blood in the extracorporeal circulation system is only 6 ml. The tests performed on this model were designed to study the behaviour of the cortical EEG and the cortical micro flow. Neither of these parameters underwent any change after institution of the artificial perfusion, and the blood gases also remained fairly stable. The model is suitable for studying both physiological and pharmacological problems.