Partial occlusion of the descending aorta increases cerebral blood flow in a nonstroke porcine model.
BACKGROUND
We studied the effect of partial aortic occlusion on cerebral perfusion and cardiac performance using the intra-aortic NeuroFlo catheter.


METHODS
Adult pigs were instrumented to determine cardiac parameters; unique isotope-labeled microspheres were used to determine cerebral blood flow (CBF) before, during and after sequential partial aortic occlusion.


RESULTS
Six pigs were studied; there was no relevant change in cardiac output, and the desired pressure drop of 10-15 mm Hg across the balloons was achieved. CBF increased significantly with inflation of the suprarenal balloon and remained elevated 90 min after deflation.


CONCLUSIONS
Partial aortic occlusion with the NeuroFlo catheter significantly increased cerebral perfusion without adversely affecting cardiac performance.
Hammer
Maxim
M
Department of Neurology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
Jovin
Tudor
T
Wahr
Joyce A
JA
Heiss
Wolf-Dieter
WD
D000818:Animals; D001013:Aorta, Thoracic / Q000502:physiology*; D021721:Balloon Occlusion / Q000295:instrumentation; D001794:Blood Pressure; D002302:Cardiac Output; D002560:Cerebrovascular Circulation; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate; D008863:Microspheres; D023421:Models, Animal; D011669:Pulmonary Wedge Pressure; D012039:Regional Blood Flow; D012079:Renal Circulation; D034421:Sus scrofa; D013997:Time Factors; D015854:Up-Regulation; D014655:Vascular Resistance