Introduction:
Extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (E-CPR) using extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is widely proposed for the treatment of refractory cardiac arrest.
Hypothesis:
Since cerebral autoregulation is altered in such conditions, body position may modify hemodynamics during ECPR. Our goal was to determine whether a whole body tilt-up challenge (TUC) could lower intracranial pressure (ICP) as previously shown with conventional CPR, without deteriorating cerebral blood flow (CBF).
Methods:
Pigs were anesthetized and instrumented for the continuous evaluation of CBF, ICP and systemic hemodynamics. After 15 min of untreated ventricular fibrillation they were treated with 30 min of E-CPR followed by sequential defibrillation shocks until resumption of spontaneous circulation (ROSC). ECMO was continued after ROSC to target a mean arterial pressure (MAP) >60 mmHg. Animals were maintained in the flat position (FP) throughout protocol, except during a 2 min TUC of the whole body (+30°) at baseline, during E-CPR and after-ROSC.
Results:
Four animals received the entire procedure and ROSC was obtained in 3/4. After cardiac arrest, E-CPR was delivered at 29±2 ml/kg/min to maintain a MAP of 57±8 mmHg in the FP. CBF was 28% of baseline and ICP remain stable (12±1 vs 13±1 mmHg during ECPR vs baseline, respectively). Under baseline pre-arrest conditions TUC resulted in a significant decrease in ICP (-63±7%) and CBF (-21±3%) versus the FP, with no significant effect on systemic hemodynamics. During E-CPR and after ROSC, TUC markedly reduced ICP but CBF remained unchanged vs the FP (Figure).
Conclusion:
During E-CPR whole body TUC reduced ICP without lowering CBF compared with E-CPR flat. Additional investigations with prolonged TUC and selective head and thorax elevation during E-CPR are warranted.
Epinephrine’s effects on cerebrovascular and systemic hemodynamics during cardiopulmonary resuscitation: metabolic changes may limit the persistence of the effect
