Neurochemical monitoring using intracerebral microdialysis during systemic haemorrhage

Intracerebral microdialysis is a sensitive tool to analyse tissue biochemistry, but the value of this technique to monitor cerebral metabolism during systemic haemorrhage is unknown. The present study was designed to assess changes of intracerebral microdialysis parameters both during systemic haemorrhage and after initiation of therapy.

Following approval of the Animal Investigational Committee, 18 healthy pigs underwent a penetrating liver trauma. Following haemodynamic decompensation, all animals received a hypertonic-hyperoncotic solution and either norepinephrine or arginine vasopressin, and bleeding was subsequently controlled. Extracellular cerebral concentrations of glucose (Glu), lactate (La), glycerol (Gly), and the lactate/pyruvate ratio (La/Py ratio) were assessed by microdialysis. Cerebral venous protein S-100B was determined. Haemodynamic data, blood gases, S-100B, and microdialysis variables were determined at baseline, at haemodynamic decompensation, and repeated after drug administration.

Microdialysis measurements showed an increase of La, Gly, and La/Py ratio at BL Th compared to BL (mean +/- SEM; La 2.4 +/- 0.2 vs. 1.4 +/- 0.2 mmol x l(-1), p < 0.01; Gly 37 +/- 7 vs. 27 +/- 6 micromol x l(-1), n.s.; La/Py ratio 50 +/- 8 vs. 30 +/- 4, p < 0.01), followed by a further increase during the therapy phase (La 3.4 +/- 0.3 mmol x l(-1); Gly 69 +/- 10 micromol x l(-1); La/Py ratio 58 +/- 8; p < 0.001, respectively). Cerebral venous protein S-100B increased at decompensation and after therapy, but decreased close to baseline values after 90 min of therapy.

In this model of systemic haemorrhage, changes of cerebral energy metabolism detected by intracerebral microdialysis indicated anaerobic glycolysis and degradation of cellular membranes throughout the study period.