Anesthesia and analgesia
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Anesthesia and analgesia · May 2009
Phenylephrine ameliorates cerebral cytotoxic edema and reduces cerebral infarction volume in a rat model of complete unilateral carotid artery occlusion with severe hypotension.
Phenylephrine is a selective alpha(1) adrenergic receptor agonist that increases arterial blood pressure by peripheral vasoconstriction. However, whether phenylephrine improves the outcome of cerebral ischemia in patients with internal carotid artery disease during hemorrhagic shock is unclear. ⋯ Phenylephrine ameliorated cytotoxic edema and decreased the infarction volume in a rat model of complete unilateral carotid artery occlusion with severe hypotension. These findings suggest that phenylephrine transiently increased CBF without increasing the tonus of cerebral vasculature during hemorrhagic shock.