Effects of local hypothermia and tissue oxygen studies in experimental paraplegia

✓ A controlled series of adult mongrel dogs were rendered paraplegic by traumatizing the thoracic spinal cord. Those animals treated with local hypothermia, whether immediately or after a delay, recovered to a significantly greater degree than the untreated group. Spinal cord pO2 studies revealed a marked fall in the pO2 at the area of maximal injury over a 30-min period. The severe hypoxia lasted at least 7 hours. Pathological studies showed the varying degrees of injury produced. It is postulated that local hypothermia may be effective in altering the clinical recovery by decreasing the tissue metabolism at the site of injury.