The primary blood strain monitoring system for use with great apes was the "Tough Cuff". The Tough Cuff was developed by Georgia Institute of Technology (GA Tech) and Emory University. In July 2009, Zoo Atlanta obtained the first prototype of the Tough Cuff, real-time SPO2 tracking which was designed for use in grownup male gorillas. What's the Tough Cuff? The Tough Cuff refers to the casing that holds the inflatable blood strain cuff in place. The Tough Cuff diameter is 6.5 inches and real-time SPO2 tracking was designed specifically for the scale of an grownup male gorilla’s arm. It may work with bigger orangutan males and real-time SPO2 tracking male chimpanzees, however is not an accurate match for females or other apes with smaller arm sizes. Why use a tough Cuff? Adult nice apes are estimated to be no less than 7 times stronger than a human, if not stronger. Therefore, zoo professionals rely on protective caging to interact with non-anesthetized nice apes.

Having cage mesh boundaries makes it impossible to take blood stress on an awesome ape like you would on a human. In order to work around this subject, zoo professionals use a cage mesh "sleeve" which permits an ape to increase his or her arm outwards for various training activities. A tricky Cuff is used to keep a blood pressure cuff in place within the cage mesh sleeve. How can I get hold of a tricky Cuff for grownup male gorillas? Zoo Atlanta has found a reputable company, Medical Engineering, Inc., to manufacture the Tough Cuff and Cage-Mesh Sleeve. Because the manual labor involved in producing one cuff or a number of cuffs is relatively comparable, the value varies depending on what number of cuffs are being manufactured. For BloodVitals SPO2 that motive, real-time SPO2 tracking the nice Ape Heart Project has supplied to assist coordinate orders from a number of zoos with the producer, Bruce Harshe of Medical Engineering, Inc., so that the individual price for every establishment will be much less.

How can I acquire a tricky Cuff for BloodVitals home monitor smaller apes like orangutans? Several zoos throughout the country, including but not limited to Zoo New England, Houston Zoo, Disney’s Animal Kingdom® , San Francisco Zoo, and real-time SPO2 tracking Cameron Park Zoo, have created inserts for the Tough Cuff to minimize the circumference for smaller apes, produced smaller Tough Cuffs, or created their very own cuff-holder devices. Cameron Park Zoo created a 5.25 inch Tough Cuff to make use of with feminine orangutans at their zoo. The device is produced for them by Larry Cobb at Alpha Technology. See Cameron Park Zoo’s Blood Pressure materials and notes (PDF) for ordering data. Disney’s Animal Kingdom® and Houston Zoo have every created their very own blood strain monitoring devices. What are the dimensions for the cage mesh sleeve that holds the Tough Cuff in place? The cage-mesh sleeve is the protective space that separates employees from the ape’s arm and holds the blood pressure cuff parts in place. The sleeve is attached to the ape holding space/enclosure by way of an attachment plate which aligns with a 8″ diameter arm gap.

At Zoo Atlanta (pictured right here), our mesh sleeve measures 42″ x 8.5″ x 8.5″ inches. Does the GAHP have any suggestions for blood pressure screens? The GAHP does not suggest any specific blood pressure displays. Typically, no matter your zoo’s veterinary division uses may be used for blood strain monitoring. Why are finger-cuff blood strain displays solely used with bonobos? Bonobos are the smallest of the great apes. Their fingers are far more slender than gorillas and real-time SPO2 tracking even orangutans and chimpanzees, and it appears that finger cuff monitors will not be as accurate in thick-fingered apes. It is feasible that finger-cuff displays could possibly be utilized in other nice apes like orangutans and chimpanzees, nonetheless this needs to be additional investigated. For now, the GAHP is simply working with bonobo-holding establishments within the United States to check finger-cuff blood pressure. Please go to the Bonobo Blood Pressure Monitoring Project web page for extra data.