Response of cerebral blood flow to phenylephrine infusion during hypothermic cardiopulmonary bypass: influence of PaCO2 management

• Published in: Anesthesiology (Philadelphia) Vol. 69; no. 4; pp. 547 - 551
• Main Authors: ROGERS, A. T, STUMP, D. A, GRAVLEE, G. P, PROUGH, D. S, ANGERT, K. C, WALLENHAUPT, S. L, ROY, R. C, PHIPPS, J
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hagerstown, MD Lippincott 01-10-1988
• Subjects: Aged; Anesthesia; Anesthesia depending on type of surgery; Anesthesia. Intensive care medicine. Transfusions. Cell therapy and gene therapy; Biological and medical sciences; Blood Pressure - drug effects; Cardiopulmonary Bypass; Cerebrovascular Circulation - drug effects; Extracorporeal Circulation; Humans; Hypothermia, Induced; Infusions, Intravenous; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Phenylephrine - pharmacology; Thoracic and cardiovascular surgery. Cardiopulmonary bypass; Cardiopulmonary bypass; Brain; General anesthesia; Induced hypothermia; Sympathic nervous system; Blood flow
• ISSN: 0003-3022; 1528-1175
• DOI: 10.1097/00000542-198810000-00015

Twenty-eight adult patients anesthetized with fentanyl, then subjected to hypothermic cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB), were studied to determine the effect of phenylephrine-induced changes in mean arterial pressure (MAP) on cerebral blood flow (CBF). During CPB patients managed at 28 degrees C with either alpha-stat (temperature-uncorrected PaCO2 = 41 +/- 4 mmHg) or pH-stat (temperature-uncorrected PaCO2 = 54 +/- 8 mmHg) PaCO2 for blood gas maintenance received phenylephrine to increase MAP greater than or equal to 25% (group A, n = 10; group B, n = 6). To correct for a spontaneous, time-related decline in CBF observed during CPB, two additional groups of patients undergoing CPB were either managed with the alpha-stat or pH-stat approach, but neither group received phenylephrine and MAP remained unchanged in both groups (group C, n = 6; group D, n = 6). For all patients controlled variables (nasopharyngeal temperature, PaCO2, pump flow, and hematocrit) remained unchanged between measurements. Phenylephrine data were corrected based on the data from groups C and D for the effect of diminishing CBF over time during CPB. In patients in group A CBF was unchanged as MAP rose from 56 +/- 7 to 84 +/- 8 mmHg. In patients in group B CBF increased 41% as MAP rose from 53 +/- 8 to 77 +/- 9 mmHg (P less than 0.001). During hypothermic CPB normocarbia maintained via the alpha-stat approach at a temperature-uncorrected PaCO2 of approximately equal to 40 mmHg preserves cerebral autoregulation; pH-stat management (PaCO2 approximately equal to 57 mmHg uncorrected for temperature, or 40 mmHg when corrected to 28 degrees C) causes cerebrovascular changes (i.e., impaired autoregulation) similar to those changes produced by hypercarbia in awake, normothermic patients.