The first blood stress monitoring system for BloodVitals wearable 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, BloodVitals wearable Zoo Atlanta received the first prototype of the Tough Cuff, which was designed for use in adult male gorillas. What is the Tough Cuff? The Tough Cuff refers back to the casing that holds the inflatable blood strain cuff in place. The Tough Cuff diameter is 6.5 inches and was designed specifically for the size of an adult male gorilla’s arm. It may match with bigger orangutan males and BloodVitals wearable male chimpanzees, BloodVitals SPO2 however is just not an accurate fit for females or other apes with smaller arm sizes. Why use a troublesome Cuff? Adult great apes are estimated to be a minimum of 7 occasions stronger than a human, if not stronger. Therefore, zoo professionals rely on protecting caging to work together with non-anesthetized great apes.
Having cage mesh limitations makes it not possible to take blood strain on an ideal ape like you would on a human. In an effort to work around this difficulty, zoo professionals use a cage mesh "sleeve" which allows an ape to extend his or BloodVitals SPO2 her arm outwards for numerous training activities. A troublesome Cuff is used to keep a blood strain cuff in place within the cage mesh sleeve. How can I get hold of a troublesome Cuff for adult male gorillas? Zoo Atlanta has found a good company, Medical Engineering, Inc., to manufacture the Tough Cuff and BloodVitals wearable Cage-Mesh Sleeve. Because the guide labor involved in producing one cuff or a number of cuffs is relatively similar, the price varies relying on how many cuffs are being manufactured. For that purpose, the great Ape Heart Project has offered to help coordinate orders from multiple zoos with the producer, BloodVitals wearable Bruce Harshe of Medical Engineering, Inc., so that the person price for each institution will be less.
How can I obtain a tricky Cuff for smaller apes like orangutans? Several zoos across the nation, including but not restricted to Zoo New England, BloodVitals SPO2 Houston Zoo, Disney’s Animal Kingdom® , San Francisco Zoo, and Cameron Park Zoo, have created inserts for the Tough Cuff to minimize the circumference for smaller apes, produced smaller Tough Cuffs, BloodVitals SPO2 or created their own cuff-holder units. Cameron Park Zoo created a 5.25 inch Tough Cuff to use with female orangutans at their zoo. The machine is produced for them by Larry Cobb at Alpha Technology. See Cameron Park Zoo’s Blood Pressure supplies and BloodVitals wearable notes (PDF) for ordering data. Disney’s Animal Kingdom® and blood oxygen monitor Houston Zoo have every created their own blood pressure monitoring devices. What are the dimensions for the cage mesh sleeve that holds the Tough Cuff in place? The cage-mesh sleeve is the protecting space that separates staff from the ape’s arm and holds the blood stress cuff elements in place. The sleeve is attached to the ape holding area/enclosure by way of an attachment plate which aligns with a 8″ diameter arm gap.
At Zoo Atlanta (pictured here), our mesh sleeve measures 42″ x 8.5″ x 8.5″ inches. Does the GAHP have any recommendations for blood pressure monitors? The GAHP doesn't suggest any specific blood stress displays. Generally, whatever your zoo’s veterinary department makes use of may be used for blood stress monitoring. Why are finger-cuff blood pressure screens solely used with bonobos? Bonobos are the smallest of the good apes. Their fingers are rather more slender than gorillas or even orangutans and chimpanzees, and it appears that finger cuff displays might not be as correct in thick-fingered apes. It is feasible that finger-cuff monitors could possibly be utilized in different great apes like orangutans and chimpanzees, however this needs to be further investigated. For now, the GAHP is barely working with bonobo-holding institutions within the United States to study finger-cuff blood stress. Please visit the Bonobo Blood Pressure Monitoring Project page for more data.