Organ blood flow and O2 transport during hypothermia (27°C) and rewarming in a pig model.

The absence of hypothermia-induced cardiac arrest is one of the strongest predictors for a favourable outcome after rewarming from accidental hypothermia. We studied temperature-dependent changes in organ blood flow and O2 delivery ( <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"><mml:msub><mml:mi>D</mml:mi> <mml:msub><mml:mi>O</mml:mi> <mml:mn>2</mml:mn></mml:msub> </mml:msub> </mml:math> ) in a porcine model with spontaneous circulation during 3 h of hypothermia at 27°C followed by rewarming. Anaesthetized pigs (n = 16, weighing 20-29 kg) were randomly assigned to one of two groups: (i) hypothermia/rewarming (n = 10), immersion cooled to 27°C and maintained for 3 h before being rewarmed by pleural lavage; and (ii) time-matched normothermic (38°C) control animals (n = 6), immersed for 6.5 h, the last 2 h with pleural lavage. Regional blood flow was measured using a neutron-labelled microsphere technique. Simultaneous measurements of <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"><mml:msub><mml:mi>D</mml:mi> <mml:msub><mml:mi>O</mml:mi> <mml:mn>2</mml:mn></mml:msub> </mml:msub> </mml:math> and O2 consumption ( <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> <mml:msub><mml:mover><mml:mi>V</mml:mi> <mml:mo>̇</mml:mo></mml:mover> <mml:msub><mml:mi>O</mml:mi> <mml:mn>2</mml:mn></mml:msub> </mml:msub> </mml:math> ) were made. During hypothermia, there was a reduction in organ blood flow, <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> <mml:msub><mml:mover><mml:mi>V</mml:mi> <mml:mo>̇</mml:mo></mml:mover> <mml:msub><mml:mi>O</mml:mi> <mml:mn>2</mml:mn></mml:msub> </mml:msub> </mml:math> and <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"><mml:msub><mml:mi>D</mml:mi> <mml:msub><mml:mi>O</mml:mi> <mml:mn>2</mml:mn></mml:msub> </mml:msub> </mml:math> . After rewarming, there was a 40% reduction in stroke volume and cardiac output, causing a global reduction in <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"><mml:msub><mml:mi>D</mml:mi> <mml:msub><mml:mi>O</mml:mi> <mml:mn>2</mml:mn></mml:msub> </mml:msub> </mml:math> ; nevertheless, blood flow to the brain, heart, stomach and small intestine returned to prehypothermic values. Blood flow in the liver and kidneys was significantly reduced. Cerebral <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"><mml:msub><mml:mi>D</mml:mi> <mml:msub><mml:mi>O</mml:mi> <mml:mn>2</mml:mn></mml:msub> </mml:msub> </mml:math> and <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> <mml:msub><mml:mover><mml:mi>V</mml:mi> <mml:mo>̇</mml:mo></mml:mover> <mml:msub><mml:mi>O</mml:mi> <mml:mn>2</mml:mn></mml:msub> </mml:msub> </mml:math> returned to control values. After hypothermia and rewarming there is a significant lowering of <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"><mml:msub><mml:mi>D</mml:mi> <mml:msub><mml:mi>O</mml:mi> <mml:mn>2</mml:mn></mml:msub> </mml:msub> </mml:math> owing to heart failure. However, compensatory mechanisms preserve O2 transport, blood flow and <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> <mml:msub><mml:mover><mml:mi>V</mml:mi> <mml:mo>̇</mml:mo></mml:mover> <mml:msub><mml:mi>O</mml:mi> <mml:mn>2</mml:mn></mml:msub> </mml:msub> </mml:math> in most organs. Nevertheless, these results indicate that hypothermia-induced heart failure requires therapeutic intervention.