Delayed impairment of cerebral oxygenation after deep hypothermic circulatory arrest in children.
BACKGROUND
Clinical studies of deep hypothermic circulatory arrest (DHCA) have focused only on the immediate postoperative period. However, experimental findings suggest impairment of cerebral oxygenation at 2 to 8 hours after reperfusion.


METHODS
In 10 children who had DHCA for heart operations, transcerebral differences of hemoglobin oxygen saturation and plasma hypoxanthine, xanthine, and lactoferrin concentrations were measured in concurrently obtained cerebral venous, arterial, and mixed venous samples up to 10 hours postoperatively.


RESULTS
Compared with preoperative levels (57% +/- 7%), cerebral venous oxygen saturation was not significantly reduced until 2 hours (44% +/- 6%) and 6 hours (42% +/- 5%) after DHCA (p < 0.05). A statistically significant transcerebral (ie, cerebral vein versus artery) concentration difference of hypoxanthine was observed at 30 minutes (3.6 +/- 0.9 micromol/L), 1 hour (3.4 +/- 1.1 micromol/L), and 2 hours (3.1 +/- 0.8 micromol/L) after DHCA but not preoperatively (0.4 +/- 0.2 micromol/L). A transcerebral concentration difference of lactoferrin occurred 30 minutes after DHCA (196 +/- 70 microg/mL) but not preoperatively (16 +/- 20 microg/mL).


CONCLUSIONS
Cerebral venous oxygen saturation of hemoglobin decreased as late as 2 to 6 hours after DHCA, in association with impaired cerebral energy status. Neutrophil activation in the cerebral circulation occurred 30 minutes after reperfusion.
Pesonen
E J
EJ
Hospital for Children and Adolescents, and Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Helsinki, Finland. epesonen@helsinki.fi
Peltola
K I
KI
Korpela
R E
RE
Sairanen
H I
HI
Leijala
M A
MA
Raivio
K O
KO
Andersson
S H
SH
D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D006324:Heart Arrest, Induced; D006330:Heart Defects, Congenital / Q000601:surgery*; D006454:Hemoglobins / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007036:Hypothermia, Induced; D019271:Hypoxanthine / Q000097:blood; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007781:Lactoferrin / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D018375:Neutrophil Activation; D010100:Oxygen / Q000378:metabolism*; D011184:Postoperative Period; D013997:Time Factors; D019820:Xanthine / Q000097:blood
D006454:Hemoglobins; D019820:Xanthine; D019271:Hypoxanthine; D007781:Lactoferrin; D010100:Oxygen