Yamauchi Suguru, Gurau Andrei, Ecoff Kaitlyn, Rodgers Kristen P, Mei Yuping, Bosmans Frank, Housseau Franck, Chen Yun, Michel John, Barth Andreas S, Ha Jinny S, Iwasawa Takumi, Kato Kazunori, Tsuchiya Ryohma, Yamauchi Miki, Orita Hajime, Mine Shinji, Fukunaga Tetsu, Brock Malcolm V
Department of Surgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America.
Department of Esophageal and Gastroenterological Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Juntendo University, Tokyo, Japan.
PLoS One. 2025 Sep 25;20(9):e0329811. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0329811. eCollection 2025.
Vascular access in mice is a cornerstone of biomedical research, with peripheral venous approaches like the lateral tail vein, retrobulbar venous sinus, facial vein, and saphenous vein being common. However, central venous approaches are challenging due to animal size and required expertise. To address this, we developed the Sternoclavicular joint-Targeted External jugular venipuncture Method (STEM). This technique provides reliable, longitudinal vascular access for frequent blood sampling using palpable surface anatomy landmarks. Moreover, STEM eliminates the need for fur shaving, specialized restraints, or deep sedation, allowing a single operator to perform the procedure safely and efficiently. Our protocol, based on a comprehensive anatomical analysis, revealed that the external jugular vein in mice traverses anteriorly to the clavicle before draining into the subclavian vein - a key anatomical difference from humans. This finding enabled a refined technique using the sternoclavicular joint as a landmark, improving the success and reproducibility of central venous access. Finally, STEM facilitates efficient blood collection and accurate intravenous administration with minimal setup time. It is straightforward and easily replicable, allowing researchers of all expertise levels to achieve high precision and reproducibility. The simplified learning process and consistent results make STEM valuable for various mouse-based experiments in biomedical research.
小鼠的血管通路是生物医学研究的基石，常见的外周静脉通路包括外侧尾静脉、球后静脉窦、面静脉和隐静脉。然而，由于动物体型和所需的专业技能，中心静脉通路具有挑战性。为了解决这个问题，我们开发了胸锁关节靶向颈外静脉穿刺法（STEM）。该技术利用可触及的体表解剖标志，为频繁采血提供可靠的纵向血管通路。此外，STEM无需剃毛、特殊约束或深度镇静，单个操作人员即可安全有效地进行该操作。我们基于全面解剖分析的方案显示，小鼠的颈外静脉在汇入锁骨下静脉之前向前穿过锁骨，这是与人类关键的解剖学差异。这一发现促成了一种以胸锁关节为标志的精细技术，提高了中心静脉通路的成功率和可重复性。最后，STEM以最短的准备时间促进了高效采血和精确静脉给药。它简单易懂且易于复制，使所有专业水平的研究人员都能实现高精度和可重复性。简化的学习过程和一致的结果使STEM在生物医学研究中各种基于小鼠的实验中具有重要价值。
