Table 2.

Advantages and disadvantages of various species in bleeding hemorrhagic trauma models.

Species	Advantages	Disadvantages	Refs.
Mouse	Economy, wide availability of genetically-mutated strains, and the associated host of immune/biochemical assays	High platelet count, limited correlation to human physiology, and an insensitivity to many coagulation defects, small size makes some interventions technically challenging	42–47
Rat	Similar to mouse, surgical procedures are technically easier to perform on the rat, and they are still as widely available and relatively cheap like mice. The coagulation cascade and associated mechanism appear to be relatively well-conserved: including platelet physiology, hepatic blood flow, and blood pressure regulation	High platelet count and a relatively lower clotting time compared to humans, small size still presents some technical challenges	22–24,45–60
Rabbit	Platelet counts, physiology and in vitro clotting parameters are extremely well-correlated to humans, making them a viable candidate for an in vivo model of hemorrhage, and experimental therapies.	More expensive and fewer on-shelf bio-assays than rats or mice, insensitive to thrombin receptor peptides that activate human platelets.	12,45–47,59–61
Pig	The cardiovascular system is well-correlated with human parameters and the comparable size allows for devices to be used in both clinical and research environment without modification. Wound-healing process appears to be similar to the human due to similarities between porcine and human skin.	Expensive, need technically-trained staff, sensitivity to complement activation related pseudoallergy (CARPA).	41,45–47,62–65
Primate	Best animal analog of humans available.	Controversial, very expensive, highly regulated. These studies are generally performed prior to initiating a clinical trial to test for safety/efficacy.	13,46,47