The following are potential causes of rat hind limb paralysis:

1. Prolonged occlusion of the abdominal aorta – this is generally not a factor if flow is eventually fully restored
2. Too much glue used to seal the catheter – Completely stop all seepage of blood before applying glue, if this is accomplished the amount of glue you need to seal the catheter should be barely visible under a microscope
3. Over-dissection of the aorta – There are very small, very vital, blood vessels branching dorsally from the abdominal aorta, they feed the spinal nerves and can be severed if the aorta is over-dissected or elevated too far above the dorsal floor. The aorta should only be disrupted for placement of the cranial and caudal occlusion sutures. Other than that, dissect down to the adventitia at the intended catheter entry site so the glue and fiber-patch have good adhesion.

Lidocaine will not do any harm, but it is most effective when cannulating more peripheral vessels like the femoral artery.

The most important tip is to completely stop blood leakage before you administer the glue. The glue will start to set as soon as it comes in contact with blood so you don’t want it to be carried away from the insertion. If glue gets into the vessel, a thrombus will likely result.