title: Cerebrospinal fluid and plasma concentrations of nitric oxide metabolites in postoperative patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To measure cerebrospinal fluid and plasma concentrations of nitrate and nitrite as indicators of nitric oxide production in adults after subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH).
  
  
  METHODS
  A prospective, clinical study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Multidisciplinary intensive care unit.
  
  
  METHODS
  Nine patients (three males and six females, aged 29-64 yrs) with aneurysm-induced SAH were studied. Glasgow Coma Scale score on admission ranged from 9 to 15. Ruptured aneurysms were clipped within 72 hrs of ictus, and then conventional hypervolemic, hemodilution, and induced hypertension methods were applied.
  
  
  METHODS
  None.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Nitrate and nitrite concentrations of patients were examined sequentially by a capillary zone electrophoresis every day for 13 days. As a control group, cerebrospinal fluid was sampled from patients (n = 9, six males and three females, aged 30-60 yrs) without neurologic disorders who underwent spinal taps for spinal anesthesia, and plasma from healthy human volunteers (n = 43, 21 males and 22 females, aged 23-49 yrs). There were no significant differences over time in cerebrospinal fluid nitrate concentrations after SAH. Concentrations of cerebrospinal fluid nitrate after SAH were increased compared with control values. Plasma nitrate concentration was decreased compared with control values, but the value on day 14 was increased significantly (p < .05) compared with those during days 2-11. Plasma and cerebrospinal fluid nitrite concentrations after SAH were similar to those in control subjects. Similar concentrations of nitric oxide metabolite in plasma and cerebrospinal fluid were observed between the patients with and without symptomatic vasospasm.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The increase of cerebrospinal fluid nitrate after SAH may attribute to the endogenous nitric oxide production in the injured brain.
authors.affiliation: Department of Critical Care and Emergency Medicine, Yamaguchi University Hospital, Ube, Japan.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Sadamitsu
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kuroda
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nagamitsu
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Tsuruta
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Inoue
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ueda
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nakashima
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ito
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Maekawa
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D002532:Intracranial Aneurysm / Q000150:complications*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009566:Nitrates / Q000097:blood / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000097:blood* / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*; D009573:Nitrites / Q000097:blood / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid; D011184:Postoperative Period; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013345:Subarachnoid Hemorrhage / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000601:surgery*; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D009566:Nitrates; D009573:Nitrites; D009569:Nitric Oxide