Oxygen tension under hyperbaric conditions in healthy pig brain.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the effect of hyperbaric conditions on brain oxygenation, intracranial pressure and brain glucose/lactate levels in healthy non-brain-traumatized animals.


METHODS
Prospective animal study in a hyperbaric chamber.


METHODS
Twelve adult Landrace/Yorkshire pigs.


METHODS
The animals were normoventilated in a pressure-controlled mode according to the open lung concept first at normobaric pressures (FiO2 of 0.4 and 1.0) and subsequently in the hyperbaric chamber at 1.9 and 2.8 bar (both at an FiO2 of 1.0). Under these conditions brain oxygen tension and intracranial pressure were recorded and brain glucose/lactate levels were measured by microdialysis.


RESULTS
At normobaric conditions, increasing the FiO2 from 0.4 (baseline) to 1.0 resulted in a significant increase in brain oxygen tension from 33 +/- 14 to 63 +/- 28 mmHg (P<0.05). Compared with baseline, both hyperbaric conditions (at an FiO2 of 1.0) led to a significant increase in brain oxygen tension to 151 +/- 65 mmHg (P<0.001) at 1.9 bar and to 294 +/- 134 mmHg (P<0.001) at 2.8 bar.


CONCLUSIONS
If there is a need for increased oxygenation in the brain, then one way to achieve this is to apply hyperbaric conditions at 100% oxygen. Compared with an atmospheric pressure with a FiO2 of 0.4, a nine-fold increase (900%) in PbrO2 values can be reached by increasing the FiO2 to 1.0 and the pressure to 2.8 bar. In this study, hyperbaric oxygen pressure in the brain did not lead to changes in intracranial pressure or in brain glucose/lactate levels.
van Hulst
Robert A
RA
Department of Anesthesiology, Erasmus Medical Center Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
Haitsma
Jack J
JJ
Klein
Jan
J
Lachmann
Burkhard
B
D000399:Air Pressure; D000818:Animals; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000032:analysis; D001794:Blood Pressure; D001831:Body Temperature; D001921:Brain / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D002560:Cerebrovascular Circulation / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D005947:Glucose / Q000378:metabolism*; D006339:Heart Rate; D006931:Hyperbaric Oxygenation / Q000379:methods*; D007427:Intracranial Pressure / Q000502:physiology; D019344:Lactic Acid / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D010101:Oxygen Consumption / Q000502:physiology*; D013552:Swine
D001786:Blood Glucose; D019344:Lactic Acid; D005947:Glucose