Heart Weight [LA_HWT_001]

Purpose

To evaluate cardiac size using heart weight and body weight.

Experimental Design

• Age at test: Week 57
• Sex: Both

Equipment

• Fine forceps
• Surgical scissors
• Fine surgical scissor
• Kim wipes (tissues)
• Laboratory balance
• Labelled jar with fixative
• Corkplate
• Pins
• Jar containing tap water to rinse the tools

Procedure

Methods and procedures used not including center-specific data entry methods.

1. Sacrifice the mouse
2. Weigh and record total body weight
3. Place mouse on its back and pin the mouse onto board with extended extremities (inner side of hands and foot)
4. Wipe or wet the mouse with 70% ethanol to control hair and dander
5. Option A (for mice that are undergoing complete necropsy):
   1. Proceed with a complete necropsy and tissue collection according to Centre-specific technical SOP including removal of the heart by dissecting the aortic root immediately above the aortic valves and the superior vena cava above the atria
   2. Remove adjacent mediastinal fat pads from the excised heart carefully with forceps
   3. Empty heart blood by tapping the heart on a kim wipe (absorbent pad) or surgical compress. Repeat until the heart is totally dry
   4. Weigh the heart, record the weight in the Centre-specific database, and place the heart in fixative
6. Option B (for mice that are not undergoing complete necropsy):
   1. Open the skin in the ventral midline and in the direction of the extremities and extend cut to hands and feet
   2. Open the muscular abdominal wall in the midline and along the lower margin of the rib cage with small forceps
   3. Open rib cage by removing the sternum and adjacent ribs
   4. Remove the heart by dissecting the aortic root immediately above the aortic valves and the superior vena cava above the atria
   5. Remove adjacent mediastinal fat pads from the excised heart carefully with forceps
   6. Empty heart blood by tapping the heart on a kim wipe (absorbent pad) or surgical compress. Repeat until the heart is totally dry
   7. Weigh the heart and record the weight in the Centre-specific database
   8. Discard the heart
      
      © 2019 IMPC International Mouse Phenotyping Consortium.

Notes

All data are collected at a local workstation in the necropsy room (attached to a digital balance) and uploaded to the Centre-specific pathology data capture system.

Parameters & Metadata