Measurement of blood pressure of chick embryo with an implanted needle catheter.

A catheter, consisting of a hypodermic needle and polyethylene tube, was implanted in the allantoic artery and/or vein of chick embryos ranging in incubation ages from 13 to 17 days. The procedure was performed through a small hole opened in the shell (less than 1 cm2). The hole was covered after implantation of the catheter, ensuring the adequate gas exchange by the chorioallantois and physiological values of blood gases. Blood pressure was measured with an electromanometric transducer. The arterial pressure lacked a dicrotic elevation. Both the systolic and diastolic pressures increased markedly with days of incubation, but the heart rate showed no significant change. The venous pressure was pulsatile in some eggs, and the pulsations became prominent after administration of epinephrine.