Early cerebral hyperglycolysis after subarachnoid haemorrhage correlates with favourable outcome.
BACKGROUND
Intracerebral microdialysis (MD) was applied in patients with severe subarachnoid haemorrhage treated in a neurosurgical intensive care unit in order to explore their cerebral energy metabolism.


METHODS
Brain MD fluid levels of glucose, lactate and pyruvate were measured for 3 to 12 days in 20 patients and 2,635 hourly samples were analysed. The MD data were related to computerized tomography and clinical outcome, assessed by the Glasgow Outcome Scale.


RESULTS
The study showed that most patients who made a good recovery had a specific curve pattern when plotting the studied metabolites over time, characterised by a distinct decrease in MD-glucose and a parallel increase in both MD-lactate and pyruvate. Patients who had an unfavourable outcome lacked this distinct curve pattern and exhibited more irregular changes, including increased levels of both MD-glucose and lactate and low MD-pyruvate levels.


CONCLUSIONS
This exploratory study suggests that accumulation of interstitial lactate and pyruvate, together with decreasing levels of glucose is a favourable prognostic pattern presumably reflecting increased glucose metabolism. Such hyperglycolysis may be elicited in patients with recovery potential to cope with an extreme metabolic demand set in motion by a brain insult to restore brain cell homeostasis and integrity.
Cesarini
K G
KG
Department of Neuroscience, section of Neurosurgery, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.
Enblad
P
P
Ronne-Engström
E
E
Marklund
N
N
Salci
K
K
Nilsson
P
P
Hårdemark
H-G
HG
Hillered
L
L
Persson
L
L
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D001921:Brain / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004621:Embolization, Therapeutic; D004734:Energy Metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D023261:Glasgow Outcome Scale; D006019:Glycolysis / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D002532:Intracranial Aneurysm / Q000401:mortality / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000628:therapy; D019344:Lactic Acid / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D017551:Microdialysis; D008866:Microsurgery; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D019289:Pyruvic Acid / Q000378:metabolism; D013345:Subarachnoid Hemorrhage / Q000401:mortality / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000628:therapy; D015996:Survival Rate
D001786:Blood Glucose; D019344:Lactic Acid; D019289:Pyruvic Acid