Long-term micro- and macrocirculatory measurements in conscious rats.

A lightweight, thermoneutral chamber design is introduced which permits the investigator to study, in vivo, intact skeletal muscle vasculature in the rat. The chamber, combined with established instrumentation (electromagnetic flowmetry and chronic catheterization) for monitoring of central hemodynamic parameters, affords the unique opportunity to correlate hemodynamic changes with alterations in the skeletal muscle microvasculature. Further, the studies may be performed in the unanesthetized animal. This model represents an integrated approach for the simultaneous study of the macro- and microcirculation within the same animal.