Cerebral blood flow in newborn infants with and without mechanical ventilation

The influence of mechanical ventilation with low mean airway pressure (MAP) on cerebral blood flow (CBF) veolocity in newborn infants was assessed in fifteen ventilated infants by Duplex Doppler Sonography (Duplex DS). As a control, CBF velocities were examined in 15 age and weight matched non-ventilated infants. For quantitation, maximal systolic velocity, enddiastolic velocity and the semiquantitative Pourcelot index were determined as representative flow variables. There was no significant difference of these flow variables between ventilated and non-ventilated infants. The pH, pO2 and pCO2 did not differ significantly between the two groups and there was no correlation between the flow variables, pH, pO2, pCO2 or MAP. Mechanical ventilation with low MAP is not associated with adverse effects on cerebral hemodynamics in newborn infants when significant alterations of the blood gases are avoided.