Effects of systemic cooling and rewarming on the evoked spinal cord potentials and local spinal cord blood flow in dogs.

Changes in evoked spinal cord potential (ESCP) and in local spinal cord blood flow (local SCBF) were measured simultaneously in eight dogs in the course of systemic cooling and rewarming using a water mattress. PaCO2 was maintained at 35-40 mm Hg (temperature-uncorrected values) by adjusting ventilatory volume every 1 degree C change of esophageal temperature under N2O (60%)-O2-isoflurane (1.15%) anesthesia. Local SCBF and arterial blood pressure decreased and ESCP latencies increased linearly with the decrease in body temperature to 23-24 degrees C. The conductive ESCPs (non-synaptic components) showed temporary augmentation in amplitude before eventual decrease under cooling. These showed a tendency to return to the precooling baselines after the initiation of rewarming. These results demonstrate that conductive ESCPs could be available for intraoperative monitoring of spinal function under hypothermia down to 23-24 degrees C.