Monitoring of intrathecal oxygen tension during experimental aortic occlusion predicts ultrastructural changes in the spinal cord

Elamipretide mitigates ischemia-reperfusion injury in a swine model of hemorrhagic shock

ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI) after hemorrhage is potentiated by aortic occlusion or resuscitative endovascular balloon occlusion of the aorta (REBOA). Given the central role of mitochondrial injury in shock, we hypothesized that Elamipretide, a peptide that protects mitochondria, would mitigate IRI after hemorrhagic shock and REBOA. Twelve pigs were subjected to hemorrhagic shock and 45 min of REBOA. After 25 min of REBOA, animals received either saline or Elamipretide. Animals were transfused with autologous blood during balloon deflation, and pigs were resuscitated with isotonic crystalloids and norepinephrine for 4.25 h. Elamipretide-treated animals required less crystalloids than the controls (62.5 [50-90] and 25 [5-30] mL/kg, respectively), but similar amounts of norepinephrine (24.7 [8.6-39.3] and 9.7 [2.1-12.5] mcg/kg, respectively). Treatment animals had a significant reduction in serum creatinine (control: 2.7 [2.6-2.8]; Elamipretide: 2.4 [2.4-2.5] mg/dL; p = 0.04), troponin (control: 3.20 [2.14-5.47] ng/mL, Elamipretide: 0.22 [0.1-1.91] ng/mL; p = 0.03), and interleukin-6 concentrations at the end of the study. There were no differences in final plasma lactate concentration. Elamipretide reduced fluid requirements and protected the kidney and heart after profound IRI. Further understanding the subcellular consequences of REBOA and mitochondrial rescue will open new therapeutic avenues for patients suffering from IRI after hemorrhage.

Histological Findings After Aortic Cross-Clamping in Preclinical Animal Models

Spinal cord ischemic injury and paralysis are devastating complications after open surgical repair of thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms. Preclinical models have been developed to simulate the clinical paradigm to better understand the neuropathophysiology and develop therapeutic treatment. Neuropathological findings in the preclinical models have not been comprehensively examined before. This systematic review studies the past 40 years of the histological findings after open surgical repair in preclinical models. Our main finding is that damage is predominantly in the grey matter of the spinal cord, although white matter damage in the spinal cord is also reported. Future research needs to examine the neuropathological findings in preclinical models after endovascular repair, a newer type of surgical repair used to treat aortic aneurysms.

Bypass Techniques for Descending Thoracic Aortic Surgery

The conduct of partial left heart bypass or partial car diopulmonary bypass (CPB) during surgery involving the descending thoracic aorta or thoracoabdominal aorta is one of the most unappreciated and misunder stood extracorporeal circulation procedures in cardio vascular surgery. It is different from conventional CPB, and although some uninitiated practitioners consider it simpler, it is in fact more complicated than conven tional CPB and involves different concepts. It requires expertise and skill in regulating the flow, pressure, and oxygenation of blood going to both the proximal and distal parts of the body and management of the special bypass or shunt procedures used, specialized monitor ing, and knowledge about the protection and preserva tion of organs both proximal and distal to the aortic clamping. It demands exquisite communication and un derstanding of the unique problems faced by the sur geon, anesthesiologist, and perfusionist.

Spinal cord injury: how can we improve the classification and quantification of its severity and prognosis?

The preservation of functional neural tissue after spinal cord injury (SCI) is the basis for spontaneous neurological recovery. Some injured patients in the acute phase have more potential for recovery than others. This fact is problematic for the construction of clinical trials because enrollment of subjects with variable recovery potential makes it difficult to detect effects, requires large sample sizes, and risks Type II errors. In addition, the current methods to assess injury and recovery are non-quantitative and not sensitive. It is likely that therapeutic combinations will be necessary to cause substantially improved function after SCI, thus we need highly sensitive techniques to evaluate changes in motor, sensory, autonomic and other functions. We review several emerging neurophysiological techniques with high sensitivity. Quantitative methods to evaluate residual tissue sparing after severe acute SCI have not entered widespread clinical use. This reduces the ability to correlate structural preservation with clinical outcome following SCI resulting in enrollment of subjects with varying patterns of tissue preservation and injury into clinical trials. We propose that the inclusion of additional measures of injury severity, pattern, and individual genetic characteristics may enable stratification in clinical trials to make the testing of therapeutic interventions more effective and efficient. New imaging techniques to assess tract injury and demyelination and methods to quantify tissue injury, inflammatory markers, and neuroglial biochemical changes may improve the evaluation of injury severity, and the correlation with neurological outcome, and measure the effects of treatment more robustly than is currently possible. The ability to test such a multimodality approach will require a high degree of collaboration between clinical and research centers and government research support. When the most informative of these assessments is determined, it may be possible to identify patients with substantial recovery potential, improve selection criteria and conduct more efficient clinical trials.

Effect of Central Venous Pressure on Spinal Cord Oxygenation

To analyze the effect of central venous pressure on cerebrospinal fluid oxygen tension and intrathecal pressure, multiparameter sensors were introduced into the intrathecal space for continuous monitoring of cerebrospinal fluid PO2, PCO2, and intrathecal pressure in 15 pigs. After 20 min of aortic clamping, hypervolemia was established for 20 min, followed by normovolemia. The animals were divided into 3 groups: in group 1, cerebrospinal fluid PO2 = 0% at some time during crossclamping; in group 2, cerebrospinal fluid PO2 was <50%; and in group 3, cerebrospinal fluid PO2 remained ≥50%. Mean decreases in cerebrospinal fluid PO2 during the initial 20 min of crossclamping were 82%, 57%, and 15% in groups 1, 2, and 3, respectively. Following induction of hypervolemia, central venous and cerebrospinal fluid pressures increased simultaneously; this caused a significant decrease in cerebrospinal fluid PO2 in group 2 only. In this model, aortic clamping did not increase cerebrospinal fluid pressure if central venous pressure was not elevated. The detrimental effect of elevated intrathecal pressure on cerebrospinal fluid oxygenation was seen only in animals with an intermediate degree of spinal cord ischemia. This might have important implications for the prevention of paraplegia during thoracoabdominal aortic replacement.

Reduction of hypoxia by perfluorocarbon emulsion in a traumatic spinal cord injury model

Object

Few therapies have consistently demonstrated effectiveness in preserving O2 delivery after spinal cord injury (SCI). Perfluorocarbons (PFCs) offer great promise to carry and deliver O2 more efficiently than conventional measures. The authors investigated the use of Clark-type microelectrodes to monitor spinal cord oxygenation directly (intraparenchymal [IP] recording) and indirectly (cerebrospinal fluid [CSF] recording) in the context of SCI, O2 therapy, and PFC treatment.

Methods

After placement of a subdural/CSF Licox probe in rats, incremental increases in the fraction of inspired O2 (FiO2) up to 100% were administered to establish a dose-response curve. The probe was then placed in the parenchyma of the same animals for a second dose-response curve. In a second study, rats with CSF or IP probes underwent SCI with the NYU Impactor and treatment with O2, followed by administration of PFC, or saline in the control group.

Results

All animals in the first experiment responded to the FiO2 dose increase, with changes in PO2 evident in both CSF and IP levels. The SCI in the second experiment caused a marked drop in PO2 from a mean of 21.4 to 10.4 mm Hg, with most animals dropping to less than half their preinjury value. All animals responded to 100% O2 treatment. Every animal that received PFCs showed significant improvement, with a mean increase in PO2 of 23.3 mm Hg. Only 1 saline-treated animal showed any benefit. Oxygen values in the PFC treatment group reached up to 6 times the normal level.

Conclusions

Oxygen levels in SCI show a profound drop almost immediately postinjury. Administration of PFCs combined with 100% O2 therapy can reverse tissue hypoxia and holds promise for reducing ischemic injury.

Assessment of hepatic ischemia-reperfusion injury by simultaneous measurement of tissue pO2, pCO2, and pH

INTRODUCTION

The objective of this study was to determine whether the simultaneous measurement of tissue pH, pCO(2), and pO(2) with a multiple-parameter fiberoptic sensor (Paratrend 7) can be used for continuous monitoring of hepatic microperfusion in a pig model of hepatic ischemia given endothelin(A) receptor antagonist (ET(A)-RA) or isotonic saline.

METHODS

Fourteen anesthetized swine were subjected to 2 h of hepatic vascular exclusion. The animals were randomized into two groups: control group (n = 7, saline solution iv) and therapy group (n = 7, ET(A)-RA). For evaluation of ischemia-reperfusion injury, the data of the multiple-parameter sensor (pO(2para), pCO(2para), and pH(para)) were compared with partial oxygen pressure in tissue (p(ti)O(2)), laser Doppler flow, and systemic hemodynamic, metabolic data, and time course of transaminases.

RESULTS

In the control group 30 and 60 min after reperfusion, the following values were measured: p(ti)O(2): 34.0 +/- 8.6 / 36.3 +/- 7.0 mm Hg (P < 0.05 vs. preop.: 49.8 +/- 12.1 mm Hg), laser Doppler area: 133.3 +/- 23.2 / 156.4 +/- 15.4 (P < 0.05 vs. preop.: 215.9 +/- 14.8). Animals in the therapy group revealed significantly improved values (p(ti)O(2): 54.0 +/- 8.6 / 58.1 +/- 7.8 mm Hg, laser Doppler: 210.2 +/- 38.5 / 225.2 +/- 21.3; P < 0.05). Using the Paratrend, also an improvement in the therapy group was seen 30 and 60 min after reperfusion. The values showed a strong correlation with p(ti)O(2) (r = 0.895; P < 0.05) and laser Doppler flow (r = 0.807; P < 0.05). In the treatment group, aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and glutamate dehydrogenase (GLDH) were reduced 6 and 18 h after reperfusion, respectively, indicating hepatoprotection by the therapy (P < 0.05 vs. control).

CONCLUSIONS

The Paratrend sensor offers the opportunity to study postischemic organ hemodynamics through the simultaneous measurement of interstitial pH, pCO(2), and pO(2) in a small tissue region. This method offers a prognostic tool for the study of the effects of experimental vasoactive therapy on liver microcirculation and perspectives for continuous monitoring of human liver microperfusion after liver surgery and trauma.

Biomarkers of free radical injury during spinal cord ischemia

Plasma and urinary levels of 8-iso-PGF(2alpha) and 15-keto-dihydro-PGF(2alpha) were analysed at baseline and during the ischemia-reperfusion period in experimental spinal cord ischemia. A significant and immediate increase of 8-iso-PGF(2alpha) in plasma at the start and up to 60 min, and in the urine at 90-150 min following ischemia indicate an association of oxidative injury. The inflammatory response indicator 15-keto-dihydro-PGF(2alpha) in plasma increased significantly at the start and up to 60 min after ischemia. No such increase was seen in animals with no spinal cord ischemia. Thus, free radical mediated and cyclooxygenase catalysed products of arachidonic acid are increased during spinal cord ischemia as a consequence of oxidative injury and inflammation.