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Ann Thorac Surg 2000;69:415-420
© 2000 The Society of Thoracic Surgeons
a Department of Anesthesiology, Department of Surgery, Mayo Foundation and Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA
b Division of Cardiovascular Surgery, Department of Surgery, Mayo Foundation and Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA
Address reprint requests to Dr Cook, Department of Anesthesiology, Mayo Clinic, 200 First St SW, Rochester, MN 55905
e-mail: cook.david{at}mayo.edu
| Abstract |
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Methods and Results. Forty-four pigs underwent CPB: 24 animals at 28°C, and 20 at 38°C. The two temperature groups were randomized to undergo embolization (67-µm fluorescent microspheres) at either hypercarbia or hypocarbia. Before and after embolization, cerebral and ocular blood flow were determined at normocarbia. Reducing temperature or PaCO2 reduced cerebral and ocular embolization. Hypocarbia reduced cerebral embolization by 60% and 45% in normothermic and hypothermic groups, respectively (p < 0.0001 and p < 0.05). Relative to normothermic animals, hypothermia reduced cerebral embolization by 37% under an elevated CO2 condition (p < 0.05), but not under hypocarbic conditions. Similarly, regardless of temperature, fewer emboli were delivered to the eye in hypocarbic animals (p < 0.05), but hypothermia did not reduce ocular embolization.
Conclusions. Cerebral embolization is determined by both temperature and PaCO2 at the time of embolization. In CPB practice, reductions in temperature and/or PaCO2 during periods of embolic risk may reduce brain injury.
| Introduction |
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Transcranial Doppler and echocardiographic data indicate that embolic risk during cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) is clustered into fairly specific periods [13]. Manipulation of the aorta and the initial phases of ventricular ejection are primary periods of embolic risk, and during these times, exquisite control of physiologic variables is possible. In the nonbypass period, PaCO2 is easily manipulated, and during CPB, PaCO2, and temperature might both be rapidly altered to reduce delivery of emboli to the central nervous system (CNS). We recently demonstrated in an animal model that acute manipulations of CO2 could reduce cerebral embolization by more than 50% during normothermic CPB [4]. Manipulation of temperature with or without alterations in PaCO2 should also be effective. The aim of this study is to determine the effect of hypothermia and PaCO2 on cerebral embolization and compare those results with those obtained under normothermic conditions.
| Material and methods |
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Four-inch femoral artery catheters were placed for mean arterial blood pressure (MAP) measurements and blood sampling. A left thoracotomy was performed. Venous drainage to the CPB circuit was by a right atrial 36-Fr cannula. The blood was circulated by a centrifugal pump through a combined heat exchanger-oxygenator (Bentley Spiral Gold, Irvine, CA) and returned via a 4.5-mm ID aortic root cannula.
CPB was initiated and nasopharyngeal temperature was maintained at either 28°C or 38°C depending on study group, Hgb at 7 to 8 g/dL, PaCO2 at 35 to 40 mm Hg, and PaO2 more than 150 mm Hg. MAP was maintained at 65 to 75 mm Hg by altering bypass pump flow rate. When steady-state CPB conditions were reached, cerebral blood flow (CBF) was determined at normocarbia. Then, after equal random assignment, PaCO2 was elevated or reduced to 50 to 55 mm Hg (group H,) or 25 to 30 mm Hg (group L), and an embolic load was administered into the aortic cannula. Approximately 30 minutes after embolization, when PaCO2 was normalized, the postembolic CBF was measured to determine the effect of embolization on regional blood flow. CBF measurements were made with 15-µm red (excitation/emission wavelengths 580/605 nm) and yellow green (505/515 nm) fluorescent polystyrene microspheres (Molecular Probes, Eugene, OR), using the blood reference sample method [5, 6]. Four million microspheres were injected over 60 seconds into the aortic inflow line distal to the arterial filter. For the reference sample, blood was drawn from the femoral artery catheter by a Harvard withdrawal pump at 4.9 mL/min. The embolic load (1.2 x 105 67-µm orange [540/560 nm] fluorescent polystyrene microspheres; Molecular Probes) was diluted in 9 mL of 6% Dextran 70 with 0.025% Tween 80, sonicated, vortexed, and injected over 5 minutes [4].
At completion, the heart was fibrillated, and the brain and eyes were removed. Tissue samples (
1 g) of left and right temporal and occipital lobes, thalamus, internal capsule, and cerebellar hemispheres were obtained. Microspheres were recovered from tissue by the sedimentation method [4, 5] and from blood using a commercial protocol (NuFlow Extraction Protocol 9507.2; Interactive Medical Technology, West Los Angeles, CA).
The fluorescence in tissue and blood was determined by spectrofluorometry (SLM 8100; SLM-AMINCO, Rochester, NY). Cerebral and ocular blood flow and embolization were determined using previously described techniques [46].
Statistical analysis
Systemic physiologic data for preembolization, embolization, and postembolization periods were analyzed using two-factor repeated measures analysis of variance. For these models, the physiologic variable was the dependent variable, treatment group was the independent cross-classification factor, and time was the repeated factor. Linear regression was used to test for equal distribution of microspheres between left and right sides of the brain. To test if the regression line was different from the identity line, we performed individual t tests of intercept = 0 and slope = 1 along with the simultaneous F test for the identity line. All subsequent analyses for regional CBF and embolization were performed using the mean across left and right sides of the brain. Regional blood flow and embolization values for occipital and temporal lobes were combined and are presented as cortical grey. In addition, the mean number of emboli delivered to circumferential arterial territories (cortical grey and cerebellum) and penetrating arterial territories (internal capsule and thalamus) was determined. For each brain region, preembolic and postembolic blood flows were compared using the paired t test, and the two treatment groups were compared using the two-sample t test. The two-sample rank sum test was used to compare embolization between group H and L at each temperature, as well as for between-temperature comparisons. In addition, with PaCO2 treated as a continuous variable, linear regression was used to assess the association of embolization and PaCO2. All data are presented as mean ± SD. A p value less than 0.05 was considered significant.
| Results |
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Hypothermic CPB (groups 28H and 28L)
Systemic physiologic data for the three study periods in the 24 hypothermic animals are presented in Table 1. Except for PaCO2 (and pH), these did not differ between the groups 28H and 28L during any study period.
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At 28°C, 62% fewer emboli were delivered to the eyes of hypocarbic animals. As in the brain, a correlation existed between ocular embolization and PaCO2 (r = 0.50, p = 0.013) (Fig 2). After embolization, OBF decreased by 16% and 18% in groups 28H and 28L, respectively, but this did not reveal statistical significance (Table 2).
Normothermic (groups 38H and 38L) vs hypothermic CPB (groups 28H and 28L)
With the exception of pump flow (p < 0.001) and temperature (p < 0.0001), systemic physiologic variables at embolization did not differ between the two temperature groups. At embolization, mean nasopharyngeal temperatures were 38.1 ± 0.3 (group 38H) and 38.1 ± 0.1°C (group 38L) and 28 ± 0.2 (group 28H) and 28 ± 0.3°C (group 28L). The mean pump flow was 2.2 ± 0.4 (group 38H) and 2.5 ± 0.6 L/min/m2 (group 38L), and 1.7 ± 0.6 in both 28°C groups. Pump flows and temperatures did not differ within the temperature groups. The other physiologic variables, MAP, Hgb, PaO2, and pH, did not differ between normothermic and hypothermic animals under a given study condition.
The temperature difference between groups resulted in a higher initial CBF in the normothermic animals in all regions. The mean CBF at 38°C and 28°C in group H animals was 54 ± 14 and 31 ± 10 mL/100 g/min (p < 0.001), respectively. In group L animals at 38°C and 28°C, the mean CBF was 49 ± 15 and 30 ± 9 mL/100 g/min, respectively (p < 0.01). At both temperatures, there was a significant effect of PaCO2 on cerebral embolization (p < 0.001) (Figs 1 and 2) and an independent effect of temperature (p < 0.03) on cerebral embolization. Under hypercarbic conditions, hypothermia reduced total cerebral embolization by a mean of 26% (p < 0.05). Total embolization was lowest in the hypothermic and hypocarbic group (28L), but the total embolization under this condition did not differ from the hypocarbic, normothermic group (38L). The number of emboli/g of brain was 19 ± 7 (group 38L) and 16 ± 8 (group 28L) (p = 0.40). This suggests that the response to changes in PaCO2 is attenuated at lower bypass temperatures, but a statistically significant interaction between PaCO2 and temperature was not demonstrated (p = 0.11).
There was also a significant effect of PaCO2 (p < 0.01) on ocular embolization, but in contrast to the brain, temperature did not effect ocular blood flow or embolization (p = 0.39). As for the brain, there was no significant interaction between PaCO2 and temperature (p = 0.59).
| Comment |
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In hypothermic CPB practice, the principal debate over PaCO2 has been regarding the advantages or disadvantages of
-stat or pH-stat management. With the pH-stat strategy, PaCO2 is elevated and the CBF is significantly higher [8, 9]. It has been speculated that this might increase cerebral embolization [10]. The same discussion is relevant to CPB temperature. Because 10°C of hypothermia may reduce CBF by 40% to 60%, cerebral embolization should be proportionately reduced during hypothermia.
At normothermia, a 25-mm Hg reduction in PaCO2 decreased cerebral embolization by approximately 60% [4]. Here, we demonstrate that at 28°C, a 28-mm Hg change in PaCO2 reduced whole brain cerebral embolization by 45%. These data provide further evidence that hypocarbia can reduce cerebral embolization during periods of embolic risk. Furthermore, these findings favor
-stat management during CPB and may help explain reports of better neurologic outcome with
-stat management [9].
These data also provide an argument (although quantitatively and practically less compelling), in favor of moderate hypothermia during periods of embolic risk. Hypothermia reduces cerebral embolization, but during hypothermia, hypocarbia appears less effective. During hypothermia, hypocarbia significantly reduced cerebral embolization circumferential, but not penetrating, arterial territories (Fig 3). In contrast, during normothermia, embolization to both circumferential and penetrating arterial territories is affected by PaCO2.
Our data do not provide a clear explanation for this finding, although a variety are possible. First, this result may be a function of group size. Experimental variability may have its greatest statistical impact on tissues receiving the fewest absolute numbers of emboli. Although the changes were not statistically significant, in hypothermic animals, the mean reduction in embolization to internal capsule and thalamus was 55% and 29%, respectively. A slightly larger group size may have been necessary to assess the effect of PaCO2 regions receiving the fewest emboli. Alternatively, a diminished effect of hypocarbia during hypothermia could be a function of regional differences in CO2 or temperature responsiveness [11, 12]. Finally, under hypothermic conditions, there may be a greater trapping of emboli in circumferential territories [4, 13] such that the CO2 effect in penetrating arterial territories is minimized.
Studies using retinal angiography indicate that ocular embolization contributes to visual deficits after cardiac surgery [14]. As the eye is an outgrowth of the brain, PaCO2 is a determinant of uveal and retinal blood flow [15], and one would hypothesize that ocular embolization could be reduced by hypocarbia. We found this to be true during normothermic CPB [4], and this study indicates the protective effect of hypocarbia during hypothermia as well.
It is important to note that while hypothermia and/or hypocarbia reduced cerebral embolization, the decrease we identified was less than expected, particularly in the group that was both hypothermic and hypocarbic. While regional differences in blood flow response to CO2 or temperature [11, 12] may account for some of this attenuation, there may be another reason indirectly related to CPB temperature.
To maintain an equal MAP in normothermic and hypothermic animals, the total CPB flow was approximately 40% lower in the cold groups (p < 0.01). Lower pump flows at the time of embolization may increase cerebral embolization [16], because as pump flow is reduced a greater percentage of that flow will go to the cerebral circulation [17, 18]. Therefore, if a given embolic load enters the aortic root, a greater percentage of emboli may be delivered to the brain under lower CPB flow conditions [16]. This may have minimized some of the expected differences in embolization between normothermic and hypothermic animals.
This study has a number of limitations. First, animals were not randomized to their temperature group and our results with normothermic animals were previously reported [4], so the criticism of using a historical control might be levied. The potential error with a historical control is that a change of technique may occur over time potentially altering results in the later group. While this is generally possible, all of these experiments were conducted over a 7-month period using the same techniques and personnel. Additionally, hypothermic studies were initiated before the normothermic studies were completed. Therefore, the criticism of having done the normothermic group first is essentially obviated. Finally, we believe repeating the normothermic animals for the purposes of this report would have been an unjustifiable consumption of animals.
Second, our embolus model might be criticized. Clinically, cerebral emboli consist of a variety of compositions and sizes from which uniform polystyrene emboli differ. Nevertheless, a 67-µm fluorescent microsphere is an excellent model. They approximate the size of emboli that occur during CPB [2, 19], and detection techniques allow us to detect as few as three emboli per gram of tissue. As such, the total embolization in this experiment approximates [2], or is less than [4], what may occur during clinical CPB. Additionally, the results of this study should not differ if emboli of different composition or sizes were used. Temperature and PaCO2 should affect a wide range of emboli types and sizes similarly.
While the etiology of postcardiac surgical neurologic dysfunction is multifactorial, cerebral embolization is a primary determinant. Importantly, most of cerebral embolization occurs during specific CPB surgical events [13], so attention to these periods should reduce embolic risk. Surgical management of the aorta [20] can reduce systemic embolization. This laboratory study demonstrates that physiologic interventions, hypothermia, and hypocarbia are also effective in reducing cerebral embolization. While clinical confirmation is indicated, these interventions can be rapidly achieved with modern CPB equipment and can be directed to periods of greatest risk. These interventions are simple, effective, and essentially without cost and may practically impact on patient outcomes.
| Acknowledgments |
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| References |
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