Hypertonic saline improves cerebral oxidative metabolism and cytochrome aa3 redox state during hemorrhagic hypotension in dogs.

Hypertonic saline used in the treatment of hemorrhagic shock dramatically improves cardiovascular performance. In the present study, our focus was on whether it would improve disturbances of cerebral oxidative metabolism induced by hemorrhagic hypotension. Fourteen dogs were bled over a period of 15 min so that the mean arterial blood pressure of seven dogs (group H) fell to 65 mmHg and that of the other seven (group L), to 45 mmHg. These pressures were maintained for 30 min, and then 20% hypertonic saline (1.5 ml/kg body weight) was injected intravenously. Cerebral oxyhemoglobin, deoxyhemoglobin, cerebral blood volume, and oxidized cytochrome aa3 were continuously monitored by near-infrared spectroscopy throughout the experiment. The experimental results showed that 45 min of hemorrhagic hypotension led to decreases in cerebral oxyhemoglobin (from control level 0 to -25.5 +/- 7.5 microM/liter brain tissue in group H and to -32.3 +/- 7.5 microM/liter brain tissue in group L), in total hemoglobin (from control level 0 to -7.2 +/- 1.8 microM/liter brain tissue in group H and to -6.5 +/- 1.7 microM/liter brain tissue in group L), and in oxidized cytochrome aa3 in group L (from control level 0 to -0.8 +/- 0.4 microM/liter brain tissue), but to increases in deoxyhemoglobin (from control level 0 to 15.5 +/- 5.0 microM/liter brain tissue in group H and to 25.8 +/- 3.4 microM/liter brain tissue in group L) and in oxidized cytochrome aa3 in group H (from control level 0 to 0.6 +/- 0.3 microM/liter brain tissue.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)