Brief report: a comparison of clinical and research practices in measuring cerebral perfusion pressure: a literature review and practitioner survey.
BACKGROUND
Our objective was to determine whether there is variability in the foundational literature and across centers in how mean arterial blood pressure is measured to calculate cerebral perfusion pressure.


METHODS
We reviewed foundational literature and sent an e-mail survey to members of the Neurocritical Care Society.


RESULTS
Of 32 articles reporting cerebral perfusion pressure data, the reference point for mean arterial blood pressure was identified in 16: 10 heart and 6 midbrain. The overall survey response rate was 14.3%. Responses from 31 of 34 (91%) United Council for Neurologic Subspecialties fellowship-accredited Neurointensive Care Units indicated the reference point was most often the heart (74%), followed by the midbrain (16%). Conflicting answers were received from 10%.


CONCLUSIONS
There is substantive heterogeneity in both research reports and clinical practice in how mean arterial blood pressure is measured to determine cerebral perfusion pressure.
From the Perelman School of Medicine; and Departments of Neurosurgery, Neurology, and Anesthesiology and Critical Care, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Jennifer A
JA
Kosty
Peter D
PD
LeRoux
Joshua
J
Levine
Soojin
S
Park
Monisha A
MA
Kumar
Suzanne
S
Frangos
Eileen
E
Maloney-Wilensky
W Andrew
WA
Kofke
D062186:Arterial Pressure / Q000502:physiology; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology; D002560:Cerebrovascular Circulation; D002985:Clinical Protocols; D017408:Guidelines as Topic; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006321:Heart / Q000502:physiology; D006706:Homeostasis; D006801:Humans; D008636:Mesencephalon / Q000098:blood supply / Q000502:physiology; D016343:Monitoring, Intraoperative / Q000379:methods*; D009493:Neurosurgery / Q000379:methods; D011187:Posture / Q000502:physiology