Cerebral blood flow autoregulation is preserved during cardiopulmonary bypass in isoflurane-anesthetized patients.

In 21 patients undergoing elective coronary artery bypass surgery, cerebral blood flow (CBF) was measured during hypothermic nonpulsatile cardiopulmonary bypass to test the hypothesis that isoflurane abolished the mean arterial pressure-CBF relation (pressure-flow autoregulation). Cerebral blood flow was determined by 133Xe clearance. The patients were randomly divided into three groups according to anesthesia during cardiopulmonary bypass: group 1 received midazolam and fentanyl; group 2 received, in addition to midazolam and fentanyl, 0.6% isoflurane; and group 3 received, in addition to midazolam and fentanyl, 1.2% isoflurane. The groups were maintained at a constant temperature, PaO2, PaCO2, and pump flow during CBF measurements. Mean arterial pressure was increased by phenylephrine greater than or equal to 25% after the first CBF determination. Isoflurane decreased mean arterial pressure significantly (P less than 0.05) and was associated with lower CBF. Increasing the mean arterial pressure 29% in group 1, 25% in group 2, and 34% in group 3 had no effect on CBF. We conclude that, within the range studied, pressure-flow CBF autoregulation is preserved during isoflurane anesthesia administered for cardiopulmonary bypass.