Extrait

Background and study aims This study is performed in patients having cardiac (heart) surgery with the use of a heart-and-lung machine. Blood supply to the brain is normally regulated by a mechanism called 'cerebral autoregulation'. Cerebral autoregulation means that the body preserves blood supply to the brain despite wide variations in blood pressure. A way of assessing blood supply to the brain is measuring the oxygen content of a small part of the brain tissue using near-infrared spectroscopy. This is a non-invasive method where two adhesive pads are placed on the patient's forehead. These pads send out light at a frequency close to the infrared part of the electromagnetic spectrum. This light can penetrate the skull and is reflected by the brain tissue. By analysing the reflected light, the oxygen saturation (i.e. the amount of oxygen present) of a small portion of the brain can be measured. Recent studies investigated the effects of different blood-pressure-increasing medications on the cerebral oxygenation (oxygen levels in the brain) and found that after a dose of the drug phenylephrine, blood pressure was raised, but cerebral oxygenation decreased. A possible mechanism for this could be that phenylephrine slightly increases the resistance of blood vessels to the brain and thus decreasing the blood flow; this potentially leads to a decrease in the oxygenation of brain tissue. In this study we want to investigate this hypothesis further by performing several blood-pressure-increasing manoeuvres in patients connected to a heart-and-lung machine during cardiac surgery. These include administration of two different substances widely used in standard care of anaesthesia to raise blood pressure (phenylephrine and vasopressin) and a increment (increase) in the heart-and-lung machine pump flow (to simulate a rise in cardiac output). These different manoeuvres will all raise blood pressure, but might have different effects on cerebral oxygenation. The results of this study will help to get a better understanding of physiological (normal) mechanisms that control blood supply to the brain. Who can participate? Adults aged 18-70 having cardiac surgery requiring a heart-and-lung machine. What does the study involve? During surgery, the blood pressure of all the participants are raised in three different ways in a randomized order. The first method of raising blood pressure is α1-mediated, with phenylephrine, while CPB (cardiopulmonary bypass)-flow is clamped. The second method is non-α1-mediated, with vasopressin while CPB-flow remains unchanged. The third method involve increasing CPB-flow. Cerebral oxygenation and arterial blood pressure is measured for each participant before and after each method is applied. What are the possible benefits and risks of participating? Not provided at time of registration. Where is the study run from? Academic Medical Center AMC (Netherlands) When is the study starting and how long is it expected to run for? January 2010 to June 2013 Who is funding the study? Academic Medical Center, AMC Amsterdam (Netherlands) Who is the main contact? Mr Niek Sperna Weiland

Critère d'inclusion

• Physiology of brain perfusion

Liens

• ictrp
• isrctn