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Biomedical subjects

J Zhuang

Publications and source records attributed to J Zhuang.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

Combination of ultrasound pelvimetry and fetal sonography in predicting cephalopelvic disproportion.

OBJECTIVE: To assess a method of antepartum diagnosis of cephalopelvic disproportion by comparing the diameters of fetal head with those of the maternal midpelvis. METHODS: Transvaginal ultrasound pelvimetry was performed on 190 healthy primigravidas with cephalic presentation at 28-35 weeks of gestation, and the fetal heads were measured within one week before delivery. The cephalopelvic indices of diameter, circumference and area were calculated and compared. RESULTS: The index exhibiting the highest degree of accuracy (77.9%) was the cephalopelvic index of diameter (CID) defined as the difference between the mean diameter of the midpelvis and the fetal biparietal diameter (BPD). Eighty-three percent of the cases with CID less than 15.8 mm needed operative delivery, and 76.2% of the cases with CID more than 15.8 mm underwent vaginal delivery. CONCLUSIONS: The CID may be used to identify cephalopelvic disproportion before the labor and help obstetricians choose the most appropriate form of delivery in an uncomplicated vertex presentation.

Cephalometry↗

Substitution of arginine for glycine at position 154 of the alpha 1 chain of type I collagen in a variant of osteogenesis imperfecta: comparison to previous cases with the same mutation.

A substitution of arginine for glycine at amino acid position 154 of the alpha 1(I) collagen chain was found in a father and his three children. The phenotype of the patients includes manifestations of types I and III/IV osteogenesis imperfecta, but appears to be milder than that of the previously described two unrelated patients that had the identical mutation in the alpha 1(I) collagen chain. The variability in the phenotype raises the possibility of epistatic loci or environmental effects on expression of the disorder.

Adult↗

Direct sequencing of PCR products derived from cDNAs for the pro alpha 1 and pro alpha 2 chains of type I procollagen as a screening method to detect mutations in patients with osteogenesis imperfecta.

More than 150 mutations in the genes for type I procollagen have been found in unrelated patients with osteogenesis imperfecta (OI), but mutations have been difficult to define in many patients with the mildest forms of the disease. Here, we have used robotically automated sequencing of the cDNAs for type I procollagen to screen for mutations in 12 patients suspected of having nonlethal OI (types I, III, and IV). Single base mutations that changed codons for obligate glycine residues were found in seven of the patients. Altogether, we analyzed 4,379 bp of sequences of both alleles of the pro alpha 1 (I) collagen (8,758 bp of allelic sequences) and 4,200 bp of sequences of both alleles of the pro alpha 2(I) collagen (8,400 bp of allelic) from each patient.

Adult↗

Smaller alveolar-arterial O2 gradients in Tibetan than Han residents of Lhasa (3658 m).

Previous studies have indicated that native Tibetans have a larger lung capacity and better maintain arterial O2 saturation during exercise than Han ("Chinese") acclimatized lowlanders. To test if differences in ventilation or alveolar-arterial O2 gradient (A-aDO2) were responsible, we compared 10 lifelong Tibetan and 9 Han acclimatized newcomer residents of Lhasa (3658 m) at rest and during progressive exercise. Resting blood gas tensions and arterial O2 saturation in the two groups were similar. During exercise the Tibetans had lower total ventilation and higher arterial CO2 tensions than the Han (both P < 0.01) and markedly lower A-aDO2 (7 +/- 1 vs. 11 +/- 1, 13 +/- 1 vs. 18 +/- 1, and 14 +/- 1 vs. 20 +/- 1 mmHg at light, medium, and heavy workloads respectively, all P < 0.01). The Tibetans' narrower A-aDO2 compensated for their lower exercise ventilation such that arterial O2 tension and saturation were raised above acclimatized newcomer values and better maintained during exercise. We concluded that the Tibetans exhibited more efficient pulmonary gas exchange which compensated for reduced ventilation and lessened respiratory effort.

Acclimatization↗

The effect of lesion volume on cerebral vasomotor tone after focal brain injury and shock.

We have previously shown that the volume of a focal brain injury influences cerebral blood flow. We hypothesized that the cerebral vasomotor tone after traumatic brain injury and shock is related to lesion volume and that the size of the lesion would affect vasomotor reactivity. Swine were randomized to receive either a large or small cryogenic injury followed by shock, and were studied for 5 h postresuscitation. A small brain injury and shock produced a significant and sustained increase in bihemispheric pial arteriolar diameter when compared to the large lesion group and controls. A large brain injury and shock resulted in a significant decrease in the pial arteriolar diameter in the injured hemisphere. We also noted significant differences between and within groups in interhemispheric pial arteriolar diameter and pial arteriolar reactivity to acetylcholine and hypocarbia. These data suggest that the volume of injured tissue influences cerebral blood flow by a vascular mechanism, which may be due in part to an alteration in cerebral endothelial cell function.

Animals↗

Effect of human hemoglobin on systemic and regional hemodynamics in a porcine model of endotoxemic shock.

OBJECTIVE: Excessive release of nitric oxide has been implicated as being an important factor contributing to systemic arterial hypotension in septic shock. Hemoglobin is an effective nitric oxide scavenger. The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that treatment with cross-linked human hemoglobin can ameliorate systemic arterial hypotension and improve organ perfusion in a porcine model of normodynamic endotoxemic shock. DESIGN: Prospective, randomized, controlled trial. SETTING: Laboratory at a university medical center. SUBJECTS: Fourteen, male, random-bred swine. INTERVENTIONS: All animals were challenged with Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide (400 microg/kg) infused from t = 0 to 90 mins. Pigs in group 1 (n = 7) were infused with cross-linked human hemoglobin (150 mg/kg) at t = 30 mins. Pigs in group 2 (n = 7) were infused at t = 30 mins with 150 mg/kg of dextran (average molecular weight 70,000 daltons) as a 5% (weight per volume) solution. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: After infusion of endotoxin, mean arterial pressure decreased significantly (p < .05) but baseline cardiac index was maintained in both groups. In hemoglobin-treated pigs (group 1), mean arterial pressure was higher than in controls (group 2) from t = 60 to 120 mins (p < .05). There were no significant differences between the two groups in systemic vascular resistance index, renal blood flow, mesenteric blood flow, systemic oxygen delivery, or systemic oxygen extraction. Ileal mucosal blood flow was lower (p < .07) in group 1 than in group 2. Mean pulmonary arterial pressure increased relative to baseline in both groups, but was significantly greater in group 1 as compared with group 2. Compared with controls, infusion of hemoglobin significantly exacerbated endotoxin-induced arterial hypoxemia (p < .05). CONCLUSIONS: Treatment with hemoglobin improved mean arterial pressure in endotoxemic swine without significantly impairing blood flow to the renal or mesenteric vascular beds. Infusion of hemoglobin, however, significantly exacerbated endotoxin-induced pulmonary hypertension and arterial hypoxemia. Additional pharmacologic strategies may be necessary to ameliorate the potential adverse pulmonary effects of administering hemoglobin solutions to patients with sepsis.

Animals↗

Dantrolene, an inhibitor of intracellular calcium release, fails to increase survival in a rat model of intra-abdominal sepsis.

OBJECTIVE: Increased release of intracellular calcium has been implicated in cell death and organ failure in endotoxemia and sepsis. We sought to test this hypothesis in a rat model of antibiotic-treated intraperitoneal sepsis with the use of dantrolene sodium, a specific inhibitor of intracellular calcium release. DESIGN: A prospective, randomized controlled trial. SETTING: An experimental animal laboratory in a university hospital. SUBJECTS: Two hundred fourteen male Sprague-Dawley rats. INTERVENTIONS: Rats were rendered septic by intraperitoneal implantation of sterile feces mixed with live Escherichia coli and allocated to control, vehicle, or dantrolene treatment. A separate group of rats had arterial catheters implanted to allow blood sampling for determination of circulating tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha and lactate concentrations. Additional rats were randomized to receive vehicle or dantrolene after intravenous injection of endotoxin. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Over the 7-day study period, survival was significantly worse among rats that received dantrolene at a dose of 10 mg/kg, irrespective of whether treatment was started before or after induction of peritonitis. Mean whole blood lactate for each group peaked at 6 hrs after induction of infection. There were no significant differences in lactate concentration among the groups at any of the time points examined. Similarly, there were no differences among any of the groups for circulating concentrations of TNF-alpha. In rats challenged with endotoxin, dantrolene affected neither survival nor circulating concentrations of TNF-alpha. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that dantrolene decreases survival in bacterial sepsis and has no effect on survival in endotoxemia in rats. The importance of excessive intracellular calcium release in sepsis remains to be elucidated.

Animals↗

A selective inhibitor of inducible in nitric oxide synthase prolongs survival in a rat model of bacterial peritonitis: comparison with two nonselective strategies.

We evaluated the effects on survival of three different strategies for blocking the actions of nitric oxide (NO) during Gram-negative sepsis in rats. Male Sprague-Dawley rats underwent placement of a jugular vein catheter and i.p. implantation of a gelatin capsule containing a paste (.11 +/- 0.1 g final weight) consisting of sterile rat feces mixed with a suspension (.2 mL) of viable Escherichia coli (strain sm 18; 5.7 x 10(5) colony-forming units) in saline. Beginning at T = 6h, all animals received i.v. ampicillin (85 mg/kg every 12 h) until death or the administration of five doses. At the same time points, pairs of animals received an i.v. dose of either an experimental treatment agent or an appropriate control substance. The following experimental regimens were tested: 5 mg/kg per dose of S-methylisothiourea sulfate (SMT), a selective inhibitor of the inducible isoform of nitric oxide synthase (NOS); 10 mg/kg per dose or 25 mg/kg per dose of NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME), an inhibitor of the inducible and constitutive isoforms of NOS; 200 mg/kg per dose of cross-linked human hemoglobin (HGB), an NO scavenger. SMT significantly prolonged survival in septic rats, although cumulative survival at T = 168 h was approximately equivalent in SMT- or saline-treated animals. In contrast, HGB and the higher dose of L-NAME significantly shortened survival times. At T = 20 h, arterial PO2 was significantly lower in rats treated with HGB as compared to time-matched controls. We conclude that SMT, a compound with reported activity as a selective inhibitor of the inducible isoform of NOS, prolongs survival in a rat model of antibiotic-treated Gram-negative sepsis.

Animals↗

Breathing and brain blood flow during sleep in patients with chronic mountain sickness.

Chronic mountain sickness (CMS) patients have lower arterial O2 saturation (SaO2) during sleep compared with healthy high-altitude residents, but whether nocturnal arterial O2 content (CaO2) and brain O2 delivery are reduced is unknown. We measured SaO2, CaO2, sleep-disordered breathing (SDB), and internal carotid artery flow velocity in 8 CMS patients, 8 age-matched healthy CMS controls, 11 healthy younger-aged Han, and 11 healthy younger-aged Tibetan male residents of Lhasa, Tibet (3,658 m). CMS patients spent a greater portion of the night in SDB (total no. of episodes of apnea, hypopnea, and hypoventilation) than did the CMS controls, young Han, or young Tibetans (15% vs. 5, 1, and 1%, respectively; P < 0.05) because of more frequent apnea and hypoventilation episodes and longer duration of all types of episodes. SDB and unexplained arterial O2 desaturation caused nocturnal SaO2 to be lower and more variable in CMS patients than in CMS controls or in younger-aged Han or Tibetan men. Average CaO2 was similar, but the CMS patients spent 29%, whereas the other groups spent < 4%, of the night at values < 18 ml O2/100 ml whole blood. Internal carotid artery flow velocity during wakefulness was similar in CMS patients and CMS controls despite higher end-tidal PcO2 values in the CMS patients. When contiguous sleep stages are compared, flow velocity rose from stage 2 to rapid-eye-movement sleep in both groups. Whereas flow velocity remained elevated from awake to rapid-eye-movement sleep in the CMS controls, it fell in the CMS patients. During episodes of SDB, internal carotid flow velocity increased in CMS controls but did not change in the CMS patients such that values were lower in the CMS patients than in CMS controls at the end and after SDB episodes. We concluded that SDB and episodes of unexplained desaturation lowered nocturnal SaO2 and CaO2, which, together with a lack of compensatory increase in internal carotid artery flow velocity, likely decreased brain O2 delivery in CMS patients during a considerable portion of the night.

Adult↗

Role of oxidant stress in the adult respiratory distress syndrome: evaluation of a novel antioxidant strategy in a porcine model of endotoxin-induced acute lung injury.

Reactive oxygen metabolites (ROMs) are thought to play a key role in the pathogenesis of the adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Accordingly, the use of ROM scavengers, such as N-acetyl-cysteine or dimethylthiourea, as therapeutic adjuncts to prevent oxidant-mediated damage to the lung have been evaluated extensively in animal models of ARDS. Results with this approach have been quite variable among studies. Another strategy that has been examined in animal models of ARDS is the administration of various enzymes, particularly superoxide dismutase (SOD) or catalase (CAT), in an effort to promote the conversion of ROMs to inactive metabolites. In theory, this strategy should be more effective than the use of ROM scavengers since a single molecule of a catalytically active molecule can neutralize a large number of molecules of a reactive species, whereas most scavengers act in a stoichiometric fashion to neutralize radicals on a mole-for-mole basis. This notion is supported by studies showing that prophylactic treatment with CAT provides impressive protection against acute lung injury induced in experimental animals by the administration of lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Results with SOD have been more variable. Recently, we have utilized a porcine model of LPS-induced ARDS to investigate the therapeutic potential of EUK-8, a novel, synthetic, low molecular salen-manganese complex that exhibits both SOD-like and CAT-like activities in vitro. Using both pre- and post-treatment designs, we have documented that treatment with EUK-8 significantly attenuates many of the features of LPS-induced acute lung injury, including arterial hypoxemia, pulmonary hypertension, decreased dynamic pulmonary compliance, and pulmonary edema. These findings support the view that salen-manganese complexes warrant further evaluation as therapeutic agents for treatment or prevention of sepsis-related ARDS in humans.

Acetylcysteine↗

Arterial oxygen saturation in Tibetan and Han infants born in Lhasa, Tibet.

BACKGROUND: Reduced oxygen availability at high altitude is associated with increased neonatal and infant mortality. We hypothesized that native Tibetan infants, whose ancestors have inhabited the Himalayan Plateau for approximately 25,000 years, are better able to maintain adequate oxygenation at high altitude than Han infants, whose ancestors moved to Tibet from lowland areas of China after the Chinese military entered Tibet in 1951. METHODS: We compared arterial oxygen saturation, signs of hypoxemia, and other indexes of neonatal wellbeing at birth and during the first four months of life in 15 Tibetan infants and 15 Han infants at 3658 m above sea level in Lhasa, Tibet. The Han mothers had migrated from lowland China about two years previously. A pulse oximeter was placed on each infant's foot to provide measurements of arterial oxygen saturation distal to the ductus arteriosus. RESULTS: The two groups had similar gestational ages (about 38.9 weeks) and Apgar scores. The Han infants had lower birth weights (2773 +/- 92 g) than the Tibetan infants (3067 +/- 107 g), higher concentrations of cord-blood hemoglobin (18.6 +/- 0.8 g per deciliter, vs. 16.7 +/- 0.4 in the Tibetans), and higher hematocrit values (58.5 +/- 2.4 percent, vs. 51.4 +/- 1.2 percent in the Tibetans). In both groups, arterial oxygen saturation was highest in the first two days after birth and was lower when the infants were asleep than when they were awake. Oxygen saturation values were lower in the Han than in the Tibetan infants at all times and under all conditions during all activities. The values declined in the Han infants from 92 +/- 3 percent while they were awake and 90 +/- 5 percent during quiet sleep at birth to 85 +/- 4 percent while awake and 76 +/- 5 percent during quiet sleep at four months of age. In the Tibetan infants, oxygen saturation values averaged 94 +/- 2 percent while they were awake and 94 +/- 3 percent during quiet sleep at birth and 88 +/- 2 percent while awake and 86 +/- 5 percent during quiet sleep at four months. Han infants had clinical signs of hypoxemia--such as cyanosis during sleep and while feeding--more frequently than Tibetans. CONCLUSIONS: In Lhasa, Tibet, we found that Tibetan newborns had higher arterial oxygen saturation at birth and during the first four months of life than Han newborns. Genetic adaptations may permit adequate oxygenation and confer resistance to the syndrome of pulmonary hypertension and right-heart failure (subacute infantile mountain sickness).

Altitude↗

Hypoxic ventilatory responses in Tibetan residents of 4400 m compared with 3658 m.

Lifelong Tibetan residents of 3658 m ventilate as much and have hypoxic and hypercapnic ventilatory responsiveness as least as great as acclimatized newcomers, and likely greater than lifelong North or South American high-altitude residents. To determine whether Tibetans residing at altitudes > 3658 m maintained similar levels of ventilation, hypoxic and hypercapnic ventilatory responses, we transported 20 lifelong residents of > or = 4400 m to 3658 m for comparison with 27 similarly-aged male Tibetan residents of 3658 m. At 3658 m, the 4400 m compared with the 3658 m Tibetans had similar levels of minute ventilation and arterial O2 saturation, higher respiratory quotients but lower hypoxic ventilatory responses. We conclude that Tibetan residents of > or = 4400 m ventilate as much as Tibetan residents of 3658 m despite an altitude-associated blunting of their hypoxic ventilatory responses. Thus, factors other than hypoxic ventilatory chemosensitivity are likely to be important contributors to resting ventilation among Tibetan high altitude residents.

Adult↗

Protective effects of a novel 32-amino acid C-terminal fragment of CAP18 in endotoxemic pigs.

BACKGROUND: Cationic antimicrobial protein of 18 kd (CAP18) is a neutrophil-derived peptide that binds lipopolysaccharide (LPS) with high affinity. We hypothesized that CAP18(106-137), a novel synthetic 32-amino acid C-terminal fragment of CAP18, would neutralize the physiologic derangements induced by LPS in anesthetized swine. METHODS: Pigs were randomly allocated into three groups. Those in the LPS group (n = 6) were infused with LPS (3 micrograms/kg/hr for 4 hours). Pigs in the LPS/CAP18 group (n = 6) were challenged with LPS (3 micrograms/kg/hr for 4 hours) and also treated with CAP18(106-137) (4 mg/kg/hr for 4 hours). Pigs in the RL group (n = 4) received neither LPS nor CAP18(106-137). RESULTS: Treatment with CAP18(106-137) blocked LPS-induced increases in plasma levels of 6-keto-prostaglandin F1 alpha and tumor necrosis factor-alpha and prevented LPS-induced changes in cardiac output, arterial PO2, phagocyte activation, and peripheral leukocyte count. Changes in circulating concentrations of thromboxane B2, mean pulmonary artery pressure, and dynamic pulmonary compliance were attenuated in the LPS/CAP18 group. CONCLUSIONS: Treatment with CAP18(106-137) neutralizes many of the deleterious effects of LPS in pigs.

6-Ketoprostaglandin F1 alpha↗

Colloid infusion after brain injury: effect on intracranial pressure, cerebral blood flow, and oxygen delivery.

OBJECTIVES: We sought to determine the effects of colloid osmotic pressure on cerebral edema formation after brain injury. We hypothesized that an increase in plasma oncotic pressure accompanying a colloid infusion would be associated with a decrease in intracranial pressure and increases in cerebral blood flow and oxygen delivery when compared with isotonic crystalloid. DESIGN: Prospective, laboratory study. SETTING: University surgical research laboratory. SUBJECTS: Adult swine, both genders. INTERVENTIONS: Cryogenic brain injury with intravenous fluid infusion of either lactated Ringer's solution or 6% dextran-70 in normal saline. The effect of this intervention was monitored for 24 hrs. MEASUREMENTS: Mean arterial pressure, central venous pressure, intracranial pressure, hemoglobin concentration, plasma oncotic pressure, serum osmolality, cerebral blood flow, and specific gravity of cortical biopsies. RESULTS: Cryogenic injury significantly increased the cortical water content and the intracranial pressure and significantly decreased the cerebral blood flow and oxygen delivery (p < .05). Dextran infusion significantly increased the colloid oncotic pressure. There were no differences between the lactated Ringer's solution and dextran groups in intracranial pressure, cerebral oxygen delivery, or cortical water content after 24 hrs. CONCLUSIONS: Colloid infusion after a focal cryogenic injury does not increase cerebral oxygen delivery or reduce either cerebral edema formation or intracranial pressure when compared with lactated Ringer's solution. Colloid is not superior to isotonic crystalloid in the management of isolated brain injury.

Animals↗

EUK-8, a synthetic superoxide dismutase and catalase mimetic, ameliorates acute lung injury in endotoxemic swine.

Reactive oxygen metabolites are believed to be important mediators of sepsis- or lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced adult respiratory distress syndrome. EUK-8 is a novel, synthetic, low-molecular-weight salen-manganese complex that exhibits both superoxide dismutase and catalase activities in vitro. We hypothesized that treatment with EUK-8 would ameliorate pulmonary dysfunction in a porcine model of LPS-induced adult respiratory distress syndrome. At T = -18 h, pigs received an intravenous priming dose of LPS (20 micrograms/kg). Anesthetized ventilated swine were randomized to receive 1) no further treatment (n = 5); 2) LPS (250 micrograms/kg from T = 0 to 60 min, n = 6); 3) LPS and a low dose of EUK-8 (10-mg/kg bolus at T = -15 min and 1 mg/kg.h from T = 0 to 240 min, n = 6) or 4) LPS and a higher dose of EUK-8 (10-mg/kg bolus and 3 mg/kg.h, n = 6). Treatment with EUK-8, particularly at the higher dose, significantly attenuated many of the features of LPS-induced acute lung injury, including arterial hypoxemia, pulmonary hypertension, decreased dynamic pulmonary compliance and pulmonary edema. LPS caused an increase in lung tissue malondialdehyde content that was abrogated in both EUK-8-treated groups. EUK-8 treatment had no effect on circulating plasma levels of tumor necrosis factor-alpha, thromboxane B2 or 6-keto-prostaglandin F1 alpha. We conclude that EUK-8 prevents many of the manifestations of LPS-induced adult respiratory distress syndrome in pigs by detoxifying reactive oxygen metabolites without affecting the release of other important proinflammatory mediators.

Animals↗

Mitochondrial DNA analysis in Tibet: implications for the origin of the Tibetan population and its adaptation to high altitude.

Mitochondrial DNAs (mtDNAs) of 54 Tibetans residing at altitudes ranging from 3,000-4,500 m were amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), examined by high-resolution restriction endonuclease analysis, and compared with those previously described in 10 other Asian and Siberian populations. This comparison revealed that more than 50% of Asian mtDNAs belong to a unique mtDNA lineage which is found only among Mongoloids, suggesting that this lineage most likely originated in Asia at an early stage of the human colonization of that continent. Within the Tibetan mtDNAs, sets of additional linked polymorphic sites defined seven minor lineages of related mtDNA haplotypes (haplogroups). The frequency and distribution of these haplogroups in modern Asian populations are supportive of previous genetic evidence that Tibetans, although located in southern Asia, share common ancestral origins with northern Mongoloid populations. This analysis of Tibetan mtDNAs also suggests that mtDNA mutations are unlikely to play a major role in the adaptation of Tibetans to high altitudes.

Adaptation, Physiological↗

Brain edema formation after brain injury, shock, and resuscitation: effects of venous and arterial pressure.

BACKGROUND: Recent work suggests that increased intracranial pressure (ICP) following brain injury and shock is related to increased central venous pressure (CVP) following resuscitation. OBJECTIVE: To analyze the relationship of intravascular pressures to edema formation and ICP in an experimental model. METHODS: In a porcine model of cryogenic brain injury and hemorrhagic shock, we studied CVP, mean arterial pressure (MAP), ICP, and cortical water content (CWC, as cortical specific gravity) at baseline (BL), 45 minutes after shock (H45), and 1, 3, 6, 12, and 24 hours (H) after resuscitation. Group 1 was the control group, group 2 brain injury only, group 3 shock only, and group 4 brain injury and shock. RESULTS: Brain injury significantly increased ICP and CWC. Mean arterial pressure significantly correlated with ICP (r = 0.54, p = 0.02) and with CWC (r = -0.48, p = 0.03) in group 4 at 24H but not in the other groups at any time period. There was no significant correlation between CVP and ICP or CWC in any group at any time interval. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that brain edema formation in the injured hemisphere is related to MAP and not CVP, but variability in MAP accounts for only 29% of the variability in CWC and ICP, suggesting the importance of factors other than hydrostatic pressure in determining the amount of edema and the ICP after brain injury. Previous work demonstrating the significant correlation of polymorphonuclear leukocyte infiltration with ICP (r = 0.71, p < 0.001) and with CWC (r = -0.63, p < 0.001) suggests that inflammation may be one of these factors.

Animals↗

The relationship of fluid balance and sodium administration to cerebral edema formation and intracranial pressure in a porcine model of brain injury.

BACKGROUND: Fluid and sodium restriction have been advocated after brain injury as a means of controlling intracranial pressure (ICP). Recent clinical data showing no significant relationships between the amount of fluid infused or sodium administered (Na) and ICP question this practice. OBJECTIVE: To analyze the relationship of amount of fluid, Na, and fluid balance to cerebral edema formation and ICP. METHODS: A cryogenic brain injury with and without hemorrhagic shock was studied after 24 hours in swine (n = 35) randomized to receive either lactated Ringer's solution (LR) or hypertonic sodium lactate (HSL). Cerebral edema formation as indicated by cortical water content (CWC) was determined by measurement of specific gravity. RESULTS: There was a significant positive correlation between the following variables: (1) amount of fluid and ICP (r = 0.598; p < 0.01); (2) fluid balance and ICP (r = 0.684; p < 0.01); and (3) free water and ICP (r = 0.614; p < 0.01). There was a significant negative correlation between serum osmolarity and ICP (r = -0.654; p < 0.01). The study failed to demonstrate a significant correlation between Na and ICP, amount of fluid and CWC, or fluid balance and CWC. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that both the volume of fluid infused and the fluid balance do affect the ICP, but the amount of Na infused does not. The lack of a significant correlation between any of the independent variables and CWC suggests that their effect on ICP is not related to cerebral edema formation. These findings, combined with the observed significant positive correlation between free H2O infused and ICP, and the significant negative correlation between serum osmolarity and ICP, suggest that HSL resuscitation increases intracranial compliance after brain injury while LR decreases it. The data also suggest that free water restriction is warranted in patients with head injuries.

Animals↗