Does tissue oxygen-tension reliably reflect cerebral oxygen delivery and consumption?

We investigated the value of brain oxygen partial pressure (P(br)O(2)) with respect to predicting cerebral energetic failure in a rabbit model of global cerebral ischemia and hypoxia. Local cortical blood flow (l(co)CBF), P(br)O(2), extracellular lactate, pyruvate, and glutamate concentrations, as well as microvascular hemoglobin saturation (S(mv)O(2)), cytochrome oxidase redox level (Cyt a+a(3) oxidation), and brain electrical activity, were assessed during variable degrees of cerebral ischemia and hypoxia, induced by cisternal infusion of artificial cerebrospinal fluid or an admixture of nitrous oxide to inspiratory gas in 10 animals each. Arteriovenous difference in oxygen content, cerebral metabolic rate for oxygen, and oxygen extraction were derived from multimodal data. P(br)O(2), S(mv)O(2), and Cyt a+a(3) oxidation were closely related to cerebral blood flow and indices of oxidative metabolism. P(br)O(2) /=2.8 mL. 100 g(-1). min(-1), arteriovenous difference in oxygen content