Serial blood sampling from the portal and hepatic vein in conscious unrestrained miniature pigs.

A technique of implantation of portal and hepatic venous catheters in miniature pigs is described in detail. To overcome early patency loss, Swan-Ganz balloon catheters were used. Portal as well as hepatic venous catheters could be held open to withdraw blood and to apply fluids over a period of at least 50 days. The collected hepatic venous blood represents mixed hepatic outflow. The method is recommended to study absorption of drugs and substrates from the gut and their metabolism in the liver of conscious unrestrained experimental animals.