Reduction of spinal cord injury with pentobarbital and hypothermia in a rabbit model.
OBJECTIVE
to evaluate the effects of hypothermia and pentobarbital on spinal cord ischaemia induced in a rabbit model.


METHODS
thirty-two rabbits, allocated into four equal groups, had the infrarenal aorta clamped distal to the left renal artery and above the iliac bifurcation for 40 min. Groups 3 and 4 had infusion of 15 mg/kg of pentobarbital intravenously for 5 min, 15 min before the cross-clamping. Groups 2 and 4 had infusion of 20 ml of Ringer's lactate (LR) solution at 3 degrees C for 3 min during aortic cross clamp into the isolated aortic segment. Group 1 was untreated and served as control. Postoperative functions of spinal cord were assessed.


RESULTS
paraplegia occurred in all rabbits in Group 1, in one in each of Groups 2 and 3, whereas no paraplegia was observed in Group 4. In addition 2 and 3 animals of Groups 2 and 3, respectively revealed varying degree of neurological disturbances, whereas all animals of Group 4 had normal function. This difference between Groups 2, 3, and 4 vs Group 1 was significant (p<0.002). So was the difference between Groups 2 and 4 (p=0.03), whereas the difference between Groups 3 and 4 was not significant.


CONCLUSIONS
hypothermia and pentobarbital was more effective than hypothermia alone for prevention of spinal cord ischaemia in a rabbit model.
Tetik
O
O
Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Atatürk Medical Research Hospital, Izmir, Turkey.
Islamoğlu
F
F
Göncü
T
T
Cekirdekçi
A
A
Büket
S
S
D000759:Adjuvants, Anesthesia / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000818:Animals; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D007036:Hypothermia, Induced; D010424:Pentobarbital / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011817:Rabbits; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D020760:Spinal Cord Ischemia / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D013997:Time Factors; D015599:Trauma Severity Indices; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D000759:Adjuvants, Anesthesia; D010424:Pentobarbital