Abstract
Measuring vital signs is central to medical practice, but they are difficult to monitor in awake laboratory animals. We examined the feasibility of a noninvasive device for telemetric assessment of respiration rate, heart rate, temperature and movement in pigs. Awake piglets were monitored continuously for 31 h (interquartile range, 7) before (n = 4) and after (n = 3) surgery. Data quality was sufficient for determination of all parameters. We conclude that continuous, noninvasive monitor- ing of pigs is possible by using the evaluated device.