--- title: Guide to Vascular Access Buttons™ description: Vascular Access Buttons™, or VABs™, are fast becoming the industry standard for cannulated mice and rats. Read more and learn why. --- [Resources | Blog ](https://www.instechlabs.com/blog) # [Guide to Vascular Access Buttons™](https://www.instechlabs.com/blog/guide-to-vascular-access-buttons) Written by [Wyatt Boughter](https://www.instechlabs.com/blog/author/wyatt-boughter) | Nov 29, 2021 11:00:00 AM #### Everything you need to know about VABs™. An animal welfare refinement over many other methods of vascular access, VABs™ are quickly becoming the preferred method of catheter exteriorization for mice (one or two catheters) and rats (one to four catheters). This guide explores everything you need to know about the Vascular Access Button™.  ### Table of Contents: - [The Vascular Access Button™ System](https://www.instechlabs.com/blog/guide-to-vascular-access-buttons?hs_amp=true#1) - [What are the advantages of using a VAB™?](https://www.instechlabs.com/blog/guide-to-vascular-access-buttons?hs_amp=true#2) - [What to Do When You Need Catheterized Rodents But You Don’t Have a Surgeon On Staff](https://www.instechlabs.com/blog/guide-to-vascular-access-buttons?hs_amp=true#3) - [Does Instech offer any surgery training courses or advice?](https://www.instechlabs.com/blog/guide-to-vascular-access-buttons?hs_amp=true#4) - [Are there any video resources available?](https://www.instechlabs.com/blog/guide-to-vascular-access-buttons?hs_amp=true#5) - [Is the VAB™ only for mice and rats?](https://www.instechlabs.com/blog/guide-to-vascular-access-buttons?hs_amp=true#6) - [Have there been any publications demonstrating VABs™ in use?](https://www.instechlabs.com/blog/guide-to-vascular-access-buttons?hs_amp=true#7) ### The Vascular Access Button™ System Our Vascular Access Buttons™ for mice and rats are built around our [PinPort™ technology](https://www.instechlabs.com/blog/analysis-of-pinport) that simply and cleanly connects an implanted [catheter](https://www.instechlabs.com/products/catheters) to a syringe for direct access, or to a tether for continuous access. The VAB™ is a closed system as opposed to the traditional externalized or ["open" systems](https://www.instechlabs.com/hubfs/assets/videos/closed-vs-open.mp4). The PinPorts™ ensure all the ports remain closed - the magnetic cap simply allows for group housing after infusion or the samples have been taken. ### What are the advantages of using a VAB™? #### Low-stress Sampling and Infusion No poking. No needles. Every time you pick up an animal, stress levels rise. Every time you poke an animal, it gets worse. There is a better way! [Hands off rodent blood sampling](https://www.instechlabs.com/blog/hands-off-rodent-blood-sampling) allows you to take precise, low stress blood samples all without using a needle. Take your samples from outside the cage using a [swivel](https://www.instechlabs.com/products/swivels-mounts/swivels) and tether. For even faster collection, use a [capillary tube with injector](https://www.instechlabs.com/products/tubing-connectors-pinports/pinports/capillary-tubes). Hands free sampling - better for the animal, and better for you. #### Proven Long-term Patency At the American College of Toxicology’s 2019 meeting, Charles River Laboratories presented a [poster on the extraordinary patency](https://www.instechlabs.com/hubfs/pdfs/resources/191120-crl-poster-refinements.pdf) they achieved during a large infusion toxicology study in rats: flushing only every other week and locking with heparinized saline, CRL kept 94% of the rats’ femoral vein catheters patent for both sampling and infusion throughout the five-month study. This chart shows the impact of transcutaneous buttons on jugular vein patency in mice with flushing every seven days. [A separate study in mice](https://www.instechlabs.com/hubfs/pdfs/resources/191126a-vab-mice-crl-.pdf) found that the use of transcutaneous buttons kept catheters patent for up to five times longer than standard externalized catheters. Another way to extend patency is to [always ensure you are using pharmaceutical-grade lock and flush solutions](https://www.instechlabs.com/blog/pharmaceutical-grade-sterile-solutions-for-mice-and-rats). Non-sterile solutions can lead to patency problems, chemical purity issues, and more. [Learn Why](https://www.instechlabs.com/blog/pharmaceutical-grade-sterile-solutions-for-mice-and-rats) #### Group Housing For the first time, rodents with externalized catheters can be group housed. Studies show that group housing has numerous benefits including faster recovery time and better data. Thanks to protective aluminum caps, you no longer have to trade off this basic animal welfare requirement with the benefits of sampling and infusing through a catheter. [Read More](https://www.instechlabs.com/blog/benefits-of-group-housing-in-rodents) ### What to Do When You Need Catheterized Rodents But You Don’t Have a Surgeon On Staff To do the VAB™ surgeries in house you’ll need a trained surgeon with a steady hand, a dedicated surgical area with specialized surgical tools and microscopes, and SOPs to ensure aseptic technique. For some, this is a viable option. For others it's simply not possible. What do you if you are one of those researchers? Fortunately, there are a number of options available from in-person training courses to animal vendors that provide mice and rats that are already surgically modified. [Read More](https://www.instechlabs.com/blog/what-to-do-when-you-need-catheterized-rodents-but-you-dont-have-a-surgeon-on-staff)   ### Does Instech offer any surgery training courses or advice? Successful patent vascular access and catheterizations require a skilled surgeon. We offer protocols, training, and [education (virtually and in-person) programs](https://www.instechlabs.com/education) for rodent microsurgery. [Andrée Lapierre, BS, LATG, CMAR, SRS](http://linkedin.com/in/andree-lapierre-5601772b) leads our courses and education program at Instech. She has over 30 years of experience in animal research with the past 25 years focused on rodents and surgical procedures.  [Contact Us to Learn More](mailto:alapierre@instechlabs.com) ### Are there any video resources available? [Use of the Vascular Access Button in Rats](https://www.instechlabs.com/blog/use-of-the-vascular-access-buttons-in-rats) [Use of the Vascular Access Button in Mice](https://www.instechlabs.com/blog/video-use-of-the-vascular-access-buttons-in-mice) [Rat Blood Sampling Outside the Cage](https://www.instechlabs.com/blog/video-rat-blood-sampling-from-outside-the-cage) [Refining Rodent Vascular Access: A Video Poster Presentation](https://www.instechlabs.com/blog/video-presentation-refining-rodent-vascular-access) [IV Self-Administration in Rats](https://www.instechlabs.com/blog/video-iv-self-administration-in-rats) [Automated Blood Sampling from a Mouse](https://www.instechlabs.com/blog/video-demonstration-of-automated-blood-sampling-from-a-mouse) ### Is the VAB™ only for mice and rats? The VAB is most often used for mice and rats, but there have been a growing number of successful studies done on other models including ferrets, hamsters, rabbits and minipigs. [Read More](https://www.instechlabs.com/blog/rat-vascular-access-port-is-being-used-off-label-with-other-species) ### Have there been any publications demonstrating VABs™ in use? #### Rats | Ferring | [Fewer complications compared to harnesses](https://www.instechlabs.com/hubfs/pdfs/resources/bib_Bellinger_Ferring_VAB_AALAS2015.pdf) | | --- | --- | | AstraZeneca | [Fewer complications compared to harnesses](https://www.instechlabs.com/hubfs/pdfs/resources/3Rs-Award-Poster-ThereseHagstedt.pdf) | | Charles River | [94% bi-directional patency after 151 days](https://www.instechlabs.com/hubfs/pdfs/resources/191120-crl-poster-refinements.pdf) | | Charles River | [Comparison of JVC and FVC patency in rats](https://higherlogicdownload.s3.amazonaws.com/AALAS/2afd0444-297b-40f7-b8a8-2a3ac7f5d53d/UploadedImages/Posters_-_Animal_Welfare/P8_Patency_of_Jugular_and_Femoral_Vein_Catheters_Attached_to_Transcutaneous_Buttons_in_Sprague_Dawley_Rats_with_Weekly_Maintenance.pdf) | | Charles River | [Tethered male and female rat study](https://www.instechlabs.com/hubfs/pdfs/resources/infusion-refinement-for-rat-fertility.pdf) | | Charles River | [Minimizing handling with the VAB™ in female rats](https://www.instechlabs.com/hubfs/pdfs/resources/endocrine-studies-in-female-rats.pdf) | | Utrecht University | [Comparison of Camcath, SAI and Instech buttons](https://www.instechlabs.com/blog/utrecht-report-compares-rat-iv-access-systems) |   #### Mice | Charles River | [100% patency in 28-day continuous infusion study](https://www.instechlabs.com/hubfs/pdfs/resources/CRL_MouseInfusionVAB_SOT2020.pdf) | | --- | --- | | Charles River | [Patency 5x longer than externalized catheters](https://www.instechlabs.com/hubfs/pdfs/resources/bib_SP_AALAS_17_jugular_vein_catheters_cd_1_igs_mice.pdf) | | Charles River | [84% patency for bolus dosing after 9 weeks](https://www.instechlabs.com/hubfs/pdfs/resources/191126a-vab-mice-crl-.pdf) | | Charles River | [Use in reproduction studies](https://www.instechlabs.com/hubfs/pdfs/resources/191126-poster-vab-crl.pdf) | | Charles River | [Comparison of patency with and without maintenance](https://www.instechlabs.com/hubfs/pdfs/resources/191111-crl-poster.pdf) | | Charles River | [Refinements to intermittent IV infusion in mice](https://higherlogicdownload.s3.amazonaws.com/AALAS/2afd0444-297b-40f7-b8a8-2a3ac7f5d53d/UploadedImages/Posters_-_Animal_Welfare/P31_Refinements_to_Intermittent_Intravenous_Infusion_Procedures_in_C57BL6_Mice_to_Achieve_Study_Endpoints_and_Improve_Animal_Welfare.pdf) | | Duke University | [Establishment of multi-stage intravenous self-administration paradigms in mice](https://www.instechlabs.com/hubfs/pdfs/resources/ivsa-paradigms-in-mice.pdf) | | The Jackson Laboratory | [Refinement of jugular vein catheterization with Vascular Access Button™ in mice](https://www.instechlabs.com/hubfs/pdfs/resources/refinements-of-jvc-w-vab-in-mice.pdf) | | Johns Hopkins University | [Implantation of a vascular access button in mice](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-025-20542-4) |   #### Other Species | Ellegaard | [Implantation in minipigs](https://www.instechlabs.com/hubfs/pdfs/resources/Poster_ASR18.pdf) | | --- | --- | | Frontage | [Blood sampling from minipigs](https://www.instechlabs.com/hubfs/pdfs/resources/191107-poster-frontage.pdf) | | Charles River | [The Role of Vascular Access Buttons™ in Minipigs](https://www.instechlabs.com/hubfs/pdfs/resources/poster-vascular-access-button-melanie-reijnaers.pdf) | | US Army | [Blood sampling from ferrets](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31394947) | | Charles River | [JVC patency in hamsters](https://higherlogicdownload.s3.amazonaws.com/AALAS/2afd0444-297b-40f7-b8a8-2a3ac7f5d53d/UploadedImages/Posters_-_Animal_Welfare/P43_Transcutaneous_Buttons_Improves_Jugular_Vein_Catheter_Bidirectional_Patency_Duration_in_LVG_Golden_Syrian_Hamsters.pdf) | | Charles River | [Improving animal welfare in rabbits](https://www.instechlabs.com/hubfs/pdfs/resources/infusion-refinement-for-rabbits-with-vab.pdf) |   ### Learn more and request a quote [VAB™ for Rats](https://www.instechlabs.com/products/buttons-tethers/vascular-access) [VAB™ for Mice](https://www.instechlabs.com/products/buttons-tethers/vascular-access) [View full post](https://www.instechlabs.com/blog/guide-to-vascular-access-buttons) ```json { "@context" : "http://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Wyatt Boughter" }, "dateModified" : "2026-06-26T17:54:51.432Z", "datePublished" : "2021-11-29T11:00:00Z", "headline" : "Guide to Vascular Access Buttons™", "image" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "height" : 650, "url" : "https://www.instechlabs.com/hubfs/assets/images/products/buttons-tethers/vab_rat_group_house.jpg", "width" : 650 }, "mainEntityOfPage" : "https://www.instechlabs.com/blog/guide-to-vascular-access-buttons", "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : 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