title: Ventricular fibrillation-induced cardiac arrest in the rat as a model of global cerebral ischemia.
abstract: Cardiopulmonary arrest remains one of the leading causes of death and disability in Western countries. Although ventricular fibrillation (VF) models in rodents mimic the "square wave" type of insult (rapid loss of pulse and pressure) commonly observed in adult humans at the onset of cardiac arrest (CA), they are not popular because of the complicated animal procedure, poor animal survival and thermal injury. Here we present a modified, simple, reliable, ventricular fibrillation-induced rat model of CA that will be useful in studying mechanisms of CA-induced delayed neuronal death as well as the efficacy of neuroprotective drugs. CA was induced in male Sprague Dawley rats using a modified method of von Planta et al. In brief, VF was induced in anesthetized, paralyzed, mechanically ventilated rats by an alternating current delivered to the entrance of the superior vena cava into the heart. Resuscitation was initiated by administering a bolus injection of epinephrine and sodium bicarbonate followed by mechanical ventilation and manual chest compressions and countershock with a 10-J DC current. Neurologic deficit score was higher in the CA group compared to the sham group during early reperfusion periods, suggesting brain damage. Significant damage in CA1 hippocampus (21% normal neurons compared to control animals) was observed following histopathological assessment at seven days of reperfusion. We propose that this method of VF-induced CA in rat provides a tool to study the mechanism of CA-induced neuronal death without compromising heart functions.
authors.affiliation: The Cerebral Vascular Disease Research Laboratories, Department of Neurology, University of Miami, Miami, FL 33136.
authors.forename: Kunjan R
authors.initials: KR
authors.lastname: Dave
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Della-Morte
authors.forename: Isabel
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Saul
authors.forename: Ricardo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Prado
authors.forename: Miguel A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Perez-Pinzon
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002545:Brain Ischemia / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D006323:Heart Arrest / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D014693:Ventricular Fibrillation / Q000150:complications
keywords: Hippocampus; animal model; cardiac arrest; global cerebral ischemia