Regional blood flow in brain and peripheral tissues during acute experimental arterial subdural bleeding

The effects of a large intracranial arterial subdural bleeding on regional blood flow in the brain (rCBF) and in other body organs were studied, using a porcine model. The bleeding was produced by leading blood through a catheter from the abdominal aorta via an electronic drop recorder into the subdural compartment (SDC) over the left cerebral hemisphere. Pressures in the right lateral cerebral ventricle and in the cisterna magna were recorded along with 15 other vital parameters. Measurements of rCBF were carried out using radioactive microspheres 1) before the start of bleeding, 2) during the early bleeding phase, and 3) during the late bleeding phase. When the bleeding was initiated, the intracranial pressures rose within one minute to a level approximately 40 mmHg below the systemic arterial pressure, whilst the latter usually decreased 30-40 mmHg. In the subsequent early bleeding phase the cerebral perfusion pressure and the bleeding pressure fluctuated at a level of approximately 40 mmHg for several minutes. In the late bleeding phase, the perfusion pressure decreased maximally, even when a Cushing reaction was activated. During the early bleeding phase the changes in rCBF varied between the cerebral regions. However, the mean flow remained largely constant in the presence of a decreasing cerebrovascular resistance, indicating that autoregulation of CBF was intact. Concomitantly, cardiac output and heart rate decreased, whilst regional blood flow in extracerebral organs tended to increase, possibly due to an intracranial effect on the autonomic nervous system. In the late bleeding phase, rCBF was critically reduced in all regions, in spite of a marked rise in systemic arterial pressure.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)