Cerebral blood flow, cerebrovascular resistance, cerebral metabolic rate of oxygen and intracranial pressure during and after severe prolonged arterial hypoxia in dogs. The role of dopamine in the deep hypoxic state

The effect of extreme, prolonged arterial hypoxia on cerebral blood flow, oxygen uptake and intracranial pressure was studied in anesthetized dogs. The experiments were performed along two lines. Both started with a period of hypoxia of about 40 minutes to 2 hours. Thereafter normoxia was restituted in one group and the animals were studied for another 1-2 hours. In the other group with continued hypoxia dopamine was administered. During the hypoxic period the cerebral blood flow decreased mainly as a result of vasoconstriction after an initial marked flow increase. Cerebral oxygen uptake was reduced. Intracranial pressure increased, largely in proportion to blood flow changes, and no indication of important brain edema appeared. In the "recovery" period at normoxia the cerebral oxygen uptake showed an increase during the observation time. The blood flow, initially high, returned to the control level within the observation period. Dopamine infusion during continued hypoxia induced a vasodilatation, with reduction of vascular resistance to the values found at the induction of hypoxia, and with an increase of the cerebral oxygen uptake. An important role of endogenous dopamine in the hypoxic vasodilatation is suggested.