Comparing brain tissue oxygen measurements and derived autoregulation parameters from different probes (Licox vs....

We investigated two commercially available probes for measurement of the partial pressure of brain tissue oxygen (PbrO2) and calculation of the index of brain tissue oxygen pressure reactivity (ORx) in 7 patients after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). Simultaneous monitoring of PbrO2 using the Licox(®) probe and the multiparameter Raumedic probe (Neurovent PTO(®)), measuring PbrO2, intracranial pressure (ICP) and brain temperature (Neurovent PTO) was performed for a median of 9 days (range 7-17 days). Both probes provided stable monitoring throughout the desired period. Mean PbrO2 from Licox and Neurovent PTO was 16.1 ± 9.0 mmHg and 17.5 ± 11.9 mmHg respectively. Mean ORx was 0.35 ± 0.44 and 0.31 ± 0.43 respectively. There was a difference in the measurement of PbrO2 of -2.73 ± 10.1 mmHg (Licox - Raumedic). The difference in the two values for the calculated ORx was far smaller (0.03 ± 0.31; Licox - Raumedic) and the correlation coefficient higher than for both values of PbrO2 (0.76 for ORx vs. 0.56 for PbrO2). The calculation of the autoregulation parameter ORx seemed more independent of the measurement process than the measurement of PbrO2 itself and signifies the potential clinical importance of this parameter.