Stroke; a journal of cerebral circulation
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Clinical Trial Controlled Clinical Trial
Autoregulation of cerebral blood flow in patients resuscitated from cardiac arrest.
Under normal circumstances, autoregulation maintains cerebral blood flow (CBF) constant within a wide range of mean arterial pressure (MAP). It remains unknown whether patients resuscitated from cardiac arrest have preserved CBF autoregulation. In this study, CBF autoregulation was investigated within the first 24 hours after resuscitation from cardiac arrest. ⋯ We conclude that in a majority of patients in the acute phase after cardiac arrest, cerebral autoregulation is either absent or right-shifted. These results indicate that MAP should be kept at a higher level than commonly accepted to secure cerebral perfusion. We recommend, however, that further randomized clinical trials are performed to determine whether sympathomimetic drugs improve neurological outcome.
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We have developed a dynamic CT method to measure absolute cerebral blood flow (CBF), cerebral blood volume (CBV), and mean transit time (MTT). In this study we evaluated the ability of CT-derived functional maps to detect infarction in a rabbit model of focal cerebral ischemia. ⋯ Functional CT measurements of absolute CBF and MTT early after onset of ischemia allow prediction of the size and location of cerebral infarction with good accuracy.
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The efficacy of hypothermic intervention for permanent focal ischemia has yet to be clarified. This study investigated the effect of a prolonged moderate or mild hypothermia on permanent focal ischemia in rats. ⋯ Prolonged mild hypothermia suppressed the development of cerebral infarct and neurological deficit chronically after the induction of permanent focal ischemia.
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We sought to investigate whether preoperative volume flow in the internal carotid arteries (ICAs), the basilar artery (BA), and the middle cerebral arteries (MCAs) and collateral flow via the circle of Willis differ between patients who do and patients who do not develop cerebral ischemia during clamping of the carotid artery in carotid endarterectomy (CEA). ⋯ Preoperative volume flow in the clamped ICA is significantly higher in CEA patients with ischemic EEG changes during clamping than in CEA patients without such changes. The latter patients probably have better developed collateral pathways preoperatively.
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In the United States, tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) was approved for treatment of acute ischemic stroke in 1996. Its use has only recently been approved in Canada. We sought to evaluate the safety, feasibility, and efficacy of treatment in a Canadian hospital setting. ⋯ Our safety and patient outcome data compare favorably with NINDS and Phase IV data. Although a 3-hour treatment window was feasible, the median door-to-needle time lengthened as more treatment time was available and the door-to-needle time was beyond recommended standards. This review has prompted changes in our community to improve treatment efficiency.