Surgical technique of placement of an external jugular tunneled hemodialysis catheter in a large pig model

Background: Currently, there is insufficient knowledge about the surgical anatomy and surgical techniques in large animals that can be used to test medical devices designed for human use. We encountered this problem in our study requiring the placement of jugular vein, tunneled, cuffed hemodialysis catheter in 70 kg pigs. Despite the operator’s extensive expertise in placing tunneled hemodialysis catheters in humans, the important differences in anatomy made the procedure and choosing the appropriate catheter length challenging. Methods: The following article describes the anatomy and our technique for the placement of tunneled hemodialysis catheter in the pig model. Results: We consider our surgical technique to be sound because in all animals the catheters were placed in the desired location, the procedures were well tolerated by the animals, and there were no immediate or late complications. Conclusion: We present our experience to help other researchers who might encounter the same problem.