Cerebrovascular response to acute hypocapnic and eucapnic hypoxia in normal man

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Abstract

Alterations in human cerebral blood flow and related blood constituents were studied during exposure to acute hypoxia. Observations were made during serial inhalation of decreasing O2 concentrations with and without maintenance of normocarbia, during 8 min inhalation of 10% O2, and after hyperventilation at an arterial PO2 of about 40 mm Hg. In the range of hypoxemia studied, from normal down to arterial PO2 of about 40 mm Hg, the magnitude of the cerebral vasodilator response to hypoxia appeared to be largely dependent upon the coexisting arterial CO2 tension. The mean slope of the increase in cerebral blood flow with decreasing arterial O2 tension rose more quickly (P < 0.05) when eucapnia was maintained when compared with the slope derived under similar hypoxic conditions without maintenance of eucapnia. When 12 subjects inhaled 10% oxygen, cerebral blood flow rose to more than 135% of control in four whose mean decrease in arterial CO2 tension was - 2.0 mm Hg. The remaining eight had flows ranging from 97 to 120% of control, and their mean decrease in CO2 tension was - 5.1 mm Hg. When mean arterial PO2 was 37 mm Hg, hyperventilation was carried out in 10 subjects. Arterial PO2 increased insignificantly, arterial PCO2 declined from 34 to 27 mm Hg (P < 0.05), and cerebral blood flow which had been 143% of control decreased to 109%, a figure not significantly different from control.

Authors

William Shapiro, Albert J. Wasserman, James P. Baker, John L. Patterson Jr.