ARTERIAL CATHETERIZATION IN GREAT APES.

Anesthesia is frequently required to provide appropriate medical care to captive great apes. Anesthetic safety can be optimized through placement of an arterial catheter, which allows direct measurement of arterial blood pressure and easy sampling of arterial blood for blood-gas analysis. Arterial catheterization in great apes can be achieved through palpation-guided or ultrasound-guided placement with or without a modified Seldinger technique. Potential sites for arterial catheterization include the anterior tibial artery, caudal tibial and posterior saphenous arteries, dorsal pedal artery, femoral artery, radial artery, and brachial artery. Arterial catheterization is recommended for lengthy great ape anesthetic procedures or those involving invasive procedures.