Stable myocardial function and endocrine dysfunction during experimental brain death

Vasopressin Use in the Support of Organ Donors: Physiological Rationale and Review of the Literature

The objective of this review was to depict the physiological and clinical rationale for the use of vasopressin in hemodynamic support of organ donors. After summarizing the physiological, pharmacological concepts and preclinical findings, regarding vasopressin's pathophysiological impacts, we will present the available clinical data.

DATA SOURCES

Detailed search strategies in PubMed, OVID Medline, and EMBASE were undertaken using Medical Subject Headings and Key Words.

STUDY SELECTION

Physiological articles regarding brain death, and preclinical animal and human studies about the use of vasopressin or analogs, as an intervention in organ support for donation, were considered.

DATA EXTRACTION

Two authors independently screened titles, abstracts, and full text of articles to determine eligibility. Data encompassing models, population, methodology, outcomes, and relevant concepts were extracted.

DATA SYNTHESIS

Following brain death, profound reduction in sympathetic outflow is associated with reduced cardiac output, vascular tone, and hemodynamic instability in donors. In addition to reducing catecholamine needs and reversing diabetes insipidus, vasopressin has been shown to limit pulmonary injury and decrease systemic inflammatory response in animals. Several observational studies show the benefit of vasopressin on hemodynamic parameters and catecholamine sparing in donors. Small trials suggest that vasopressin increase organ procurement and have some survival benefit for recipients. However, the risk of bias is overall concerning, and therefore the quality of the evidence is deemed low.

CONCLUSIONS

Despite potential impact on graft outcome and a protective effect through catecholamine support sparing, the benefit of vasopressin use in organ donors is based on low evidence. Well-designed observational and randomized controlled trials are warranted.

Endocrine Considerations of the Pediatric Organ Donor

Patients determined to be neurologically deceased exhibit potentially harmful changes in various endocrine pathways due to disruptions of the body's neurohormonal control mechanisms. These deviations from endocrine homeostasis lead to hemodynamic, metabolic, and immunologic aberrations that are associated with reduced graft procurement and function for the purposes of organ donation. Existing literature has attempted to describe the pathophysiology that associates disruptions in endocrine pathways with organ dysfunction, both to increase understanding and to identify strategies to support the donor. For example, diabetes insipidus due to arginine vasopressin deficiency is commonly encountered, and should be anticipated. The significance of abnormalities in other pathways such as those involving cortisol and thyroid hormone is less established; however, there is increasing support for treating potential organ donors with combined hormonal therapies. While there are published documents aimed at guiding management of organ donors in general, many controversies exist and pediatric-specific literature is scarce. This article aims to review several of the important endocrine-specific aspects of managing the neurologically deceased organ donor, with an emphasis on pediatrics where information is available.

Novel 24-h ovine model of brain death to study the profile of the endothelin axis during cardiopulmonary injury

BACKGROUND

Upregulation of the endothelin axis has been observed in pulmonary tissue after brain death, contributing to primary graft dysfunction and ischaemia reperfusion injury. The current study aimed to develop a novel, 24-h, clinically relevant, ovine model of brain death to investigate the profile of the endothelin axis during brain death-associated cardiopulmonary injury. We hypothesised that brain death in sheep would also result in demonstrable injury to other transplantable organs.

METHODS

Twelve merino cross ewes were randomised into two groups. Following induction of general anaesthesia and placement of invasive monitoring, brain death was induced in six animals by inflation of an extradural catheter. All animals were supported in an intensive care unit environment for 24 h. Animal management reflected current human donor management, including administration of vasopressors, inotropes and hormone resuscitation therapy. Activation of the endothelin axis and transplantable organ injury were assessed using ELISA, immunohistochemistry and standard biochemical markers.

RESULTS

All animals were successfully supported for 24 h. ELISA suggested early endothelin-1 and big endothelin-1 release, peaking 1 and 6 h after BD, respectively, but there was no difference at 24 h. Immunohistochemistry confirmed the presence of the endothelin axis in pulmonary tissue. Brain dead animals demonstrated tachycardia and hypertension, followed by haemodynamic collapse, typified by a reduction in systemic vascular resistance to 46 ± 1 % of baseline. Mean pulmonary artery pressure rose to 186 ± 20 % of baseline at induction and remained elevated throughout the protocol, reaching 25 ± 2.2 mmHg at 24 h. Right ventricular stroke work increased 25.9 % above baseline by 24 h. Systemic markers of cardiac and hepatocellular injury were significantly elevated, with no evidence of renal dysfunction.

CONCLUSIONS

This novel, clinically relevant, ovine model of brain death demonstrated that increased pulmonary artery pressures are observed after brain death. This may contribute to right ventricular dysfunction and pulmonary injury. The development of this model will allow for further investigation of therapeutic strategies to minimise the deleterious effects of brain death on potentially transplantable organs.

Inflammatory signalling associated with brain dead organ donation: from brain injury to brain stem death and posttransplant ischaemia reperfusion injury

Brain death is associated with dramatic and serious pathophysiologic changes that adversely affect both the quantity and quality of organs available for transplant. To fully optimise the donor pool necessitates a more complete understanding of the underlying pathophysiology of organ dysfunction associated with transplantation. These injurious processes are initially triggered by catastrophic brain injury and are further enhanced during both brain death and graft transplantation. The activated inflammatory systems then contribute to graft dysfunction in the recipient. Inflammatory mediators drive this process in concert with the innate and adaptive immune systems. Activation of deleterious immunological pathways in organ grafts occurs, priming them for further inflammation after engraftment. Finally, posttransplantation ischaemia reperfusion injury leads to further generation of inflammatory mediators and consequent activation of the recipient's immune system. Ongoing research has identified key mediators that contribute to the inflammatory milieu inherent in brain dead organ donation. This has seen the development of novel therapies that directly target the inflammatory cascade.

Brain death provokes very acute alteration in myocardial morphology detected by echocardiography: preventive effect of beta-blockers

Our objective was to evaluate immediate acute changes in myocardial function during the autonomic storm of brain death (BD). Wistar rats were divided into four groups (n = 8/group): controls without any treatment, β-blocker (Esmolol®, 10 mg/kg), calcium channel blocker (Diltiazem®, 10 mg/kg), or alpha-blocker (Prazosin®, 0.3 mg/kg). Treatments were administered intravenously 5 min before BD induction. Echocardiography (ATL-5000, 8 MHz) was performed to measure left ventricular (LV) dimensions and fractional shortening at baseline, during BD induction and 5 min and 15 min after BD. In controls, BD was immediately associated with an increase in wall thickness and a decrease in LV cavity dimension. This myocardial wall hypertrophy was completely prevented by β-blockers, but not with calcium- and alpha-blockers. Extensive myocardial interstitial edema was found in all groups, except in the β-blocker group. Myocardial wall hypertrophy was also prevented during a longer follow-up of 180 min after BD in β-blocker group as opposed to controls. In conclusion, BD is associated with an immediate and severe myocardial damage related to an important interstitial edema which is prevented by β-blockers.

Beta-adrenergic receptor antagonism preserves myocardial function after brain death in a porcine model

BACKGROUND

Cardiac dysfunction after brain death decreases the already limited number of potential donors for cardiac transplantation. Acute beta-adrenergic receptor (betaAR) desensitization after the brain death-associated catecholamine surge is an important mechanism. We hypothesized that acute betaAR antagonism could improve myocardial function after brain death by preserving betaAR signaling.

METHODS

Pigs were randomly assigned to three study groups (n = 5): sham; brain death; and brain death with betaAR antagonist (200 microg/kg/min esmolol), 30 minutes before brain death until 45 minutes after brain death. Functional data were collected for 6 hours after brain death and tissues procured.

RESULTS

Compared with baseline, pre-load recruitable stroke work (PRSW), a pre-load-independent measure of systolic function (21.4 +/- 7.5 vs 43.3 +/- 6.8, slope of regression line during vena caval occlusion, p < 0.001), diastolic function (Tau, 101 +/- 54.7 vs 36.4 +/- 5.4 ms, p = 0.03) and systemic oxygen delivery (151 +/- 79.7 vs 298 +/- 78.7 ml/min, p < 0.001) deteriorated in untreated animals at 6 hours after brain death. In contrast, betaAR antagonist maintained baseline systolic function (PRSW, 37.8 +/- 5.6 vs 38.2 +/- 4.7, slope of regression line during vena caval occlusion, p = 0.92), diastolic function (Tau, 32.6 +/- 5.1 vs 48.5 +/- 28.3 ms, p = 0.57) and oxygen delivery (427 +/- 116 vs 397 +/- 98.8 ml/min, p = 0.36) at 6 hours after brain death. betaAR antagonist preserved betaAR signaling, as demonstrated by similar left ventricular (LV) basal (55.4 +/- 32.8 vs 58.8 +/- 10.9 pmol/mg/min, p = 0.40) and isoproterenol-stimulated (125 +/- 70.5 vs 124 +/- 52.0 pmol/mg/min, p = 0.49) adenylate cyclase activity at 6 hours after brain death, upon comparing betaAR antagonist and sham treatment groups. Both LV basal and isoproterenol-stimulated adenyl cyclase activity were higher with betaAR antagonist (25.9 +/- 4.8 pmol/mg/min, p = 0.03) than with untreated brain death (55.6 +/- 17.3 pmol/mg/min, p = 0.02).

CONCLUSIONS

Beta-adrenergic receptor antagonism before brain death preserves cardiac function by preventing betaAR desensitization. This therapy in potential donors might increase the number of organs available for transplantation.

Glucocorticoids Alter the Balance Between Pro- and Anti-inflammatory Mediators in the Myocardium in a Porcine Model of Brain Death

BACKGROUND

Cardiac dysfunction after brain death (BD) limits donors for cardiac transplantation. Glucocorticoids ameliorate brain death-induced donor heart dysfunction. We hypothesized that glucocorticoid therapy alleviates myocardial depression through altering the balance between pro- and anti-inflammatory mediators via the nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB)/inhibitor of kappaB-alpha (IkappaBalpha) pathway and/or by preserving beta-adrenergic receptor (betaAR) signaling in the heart.

METHODS

Crossbred pigs (25 to 35 kg) were randomly assigned to the following groups (n = 5/treatment): sham (Group 1); BD (Group 2); and BD with glucocorticoids (30 mg/kg methylprednisolone), either 2 hours before (Group 3) or 1 hour after BD (Group 4). Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) levels were measured in plasma at baseline and 1 hour and 6 hours after BD. Protein levels were measured in left ventricular homogenates procured 6 hours after BD.

RESULTS

Pro-inflammatory proteins (TNF-alpha) and interleukin-6 were lower in Group 3 and Group 4 compared with Group 2 at 6 hours after BD (p < 0.01). Intracellular adhesion molecule-1 was also lower in Group 4 compared with Group 2 (p = 0.001). Interleukin-10, an anti-inflammatory mediator, was lower in Group 4 than in Group 2 (p < 0.001), but not different between Groups 2 and 3. At 6 hours after BD, neither NF-kappaB activity nor basal adenylate cyclase activity differed between Groups 3 and 4 compared with Group 2.

CONCLUSIONS

Glucocorticoids maintained myocardial function and shifted the balance of pro- and anti-inflammatory mediators after BD. The mechanisms by which glucocorticoids preserve myocardial function, however, do not appear to involve the NF-kappaB pathway or betaAR signaling.

High energy compound stability during experimental brain death

The aim of this study was to examine the effect of sudden brain death (BD) on myocardial function and high energy phosphate (HEP) stores. BD was induced by cerebral vessel ligation in six swine (BD group) that were compared to six control swine. At the end of the BD period (3 hours), harvested hearts were stored at 4 degrees C. Myocardial tissue HEP were assessed by: (i) (31)P-NMR spectroscopy of left ventricle for phosphocreatine (PCr), adenosine triphosphate (ATP), inorganic phosphate (Pi) and intracellular pH (pHi), and by (ii) HPLC for ATP, ADP, and AMP levels in left ventricle biopsies. Brain death resulted in a instantaneous major increase in catecholamines (>50-fold, P < .001) and paradoxically a significant progressive decrease in the regional contractility of the left ventricle. After cardioplegia, no significant differences on HEP compounds (ATP/Pi, PCr/Pi, ATP, energetic index) or in pHi were observed between BD and control groups. These data suggest that early heart injury occurring during BD does not seem to be an ischemic phenomenon.

Brain Death Does Not Change Epicardial Action Potentials and Their Response to Ischemia–Reperfusion in Open-chest Pigs

BACKGROUND

It is debated whether brain death (BD) causes transient functional ischemia. In this investigation we used monophasic action potential (AP) recording during BD as a sensitive means to assess: (i) whether ischemia was present; and (ii) the effect of BD on a subsequent ischemia-reperfusion challenge.

METHODS

In Period 1, BD was induced (BD group, 6 pigs) or not induced (sham maneuver, control [C] group, 6 pigs), and effects were followed for 3 hours. In Period 2, left anterior descending (LAD) coronary artery ligation ischemia was applied for 20 minutes to all hearts, followed by 60-minute reperfusion.

RESULTS

In Period 1, plasma norepinephrine was 3.1-, 6.3- and 5-fold greater in BD than in C at 1, 120 and 180 minutes, respectively, and systolic blood pressure was 26% greater at 1 minute and 35% at 120 minutes. The arteriovenous difference in lactate was similar or lower in BD than in C. In both groups, at all time-points, the action potential recording had a rectangular plateau shape and action potential duration (APD50) had a linear relationship to the cardiac inter-beat (RR) interval (R2 = 0.89 and 0.73, slope = 0.42 +/- 0.02 and 0.46 +/- 0.06 in BD and C, respectively). In Period 2, ischemia caused a similar (50%) APD shortening in BD and C. Restoration of the APD upon reperfusion was complete in both groups.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings suggest that BD does not cause direct cardiac ischemia and does not change the response of the heart to subsequent ischemia-reperfusion challenge.