Complete neurological recovery after 13 minutes of hypovolemic hypotension.
It has been shown experimentally that irreversible brain injury and death may follow after 5-7 min of cerebral ischemia and that even brief periods, 2 min or less, can produce focal damage to the nervous system. All published studies demonstrating a protective effect of barbiturates have been performed in animals. A patient is presented who recovered full neurological function after 13 min of hypovolemic hypotension. This remarkable outcome may have been due to the rapid institution of high-dose barbiturate therapy. The extent to which such therapy affected his outcome is unclear, but does add to the growing body of evidence suggesting a favorable effect from this type of barbiturate therapy.
D001925:Brain Damage, Chronic / Q000517:prevention & control*; D001026:Coronary Artery Bypass; D006355:Heart-Lung Machine / Q000009:adverse effects; D006801:Humans; D007431:Intraoperative Complications / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology; D002546:Ischemic Attack, Transient / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012769:Shock / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology; D013874:Thiopental / Q000627:therapeutic use*
D013874:Thiopental