Cerebral metabolism and effects of pulsatile flow during retrograde cerebral perfusion

We evaluated cerebral metabolism during retrograde cerebral perfusion (RCP) and circulatory arrest under profound hypothermia, and also investigated the effect of pulsatile flow on RCP. Eighteen adult mongrel dogs were placed on cardiopulmonary bypass and were cooled to a nasopharyngeal temperature of 20 degrees C. At this temperature, hypothermic circulatory arrest (HCA; n = 6), non-pulsatile RCP (NP-RCP; n = 6), and pulsatile RCP (P-RCP; n = 6) were performed for 60 minutes. Retrograde cerebral perfusion was performed via the bilateral internal maxillary veins, and retrograde flow rate was regulated to maintain a mean perfusion pressure of 20 mmHg in the external jugular vein. During RCP, the temperature was maintained in a narrow range, oxygen consumption and carbon dioxide excretion could be observed, the excess lactate was maintained at a negative value, and cerebral tissue ATP concentration was significantly higher than in the HCA group. The cerebral tissue water content was significantly lower in the P-RCP group than in the NP-RCP group. These findings suggest that hypothermia of the central nervous system, the supply of oxygen, the excretion of metabolites, aerobic metabolism, and the cerebral ATP level were maintained by RCP. In conclusion, RCP may possibly provide adequate metabolic support for the brain during total circulatory arrest, and pulsatile flow appears to reduce cerebral edema when compared with non-pulsatile flow in dogs.