P
erfusion is a vascular technique used to prepare tissues for immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization analysis in anesthetized animals. This terminal procedure inserts a hypodermic needle into the left ventricle or aorta to inject fixative solutions throughout the circulatory system and targets organs within seconds. The process of perfusion can be relatively easy to explain, yet the subtleties involved in executing this technique make it a challenge in practice. The following discussion outlines essential considerations for efficient whole-body animal perfusion along with perfusion-based applications.
Pushing fluids through vascular beds of the circulatory system is a core principle of perfusion. This can be done manually using plastic syringes but requires multiple trials to perfect. Even after years of practicing manual perfusion, maintaining steady flow rates can still be a challenge. It is imperative to avoid air bubbles or to vary the flow velocity during...References
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