Abstract
Responses of the cerebral vasculature to changes in arterial carbon dioxide tension (PaCO2) were studied by near infrared spectroscopy during the first week of life in 12 newborn infants, 11 of whom were receiving mechanical ventilation. 5 of the infants were thought to have normal brains, and 7 had various forms of cerebral injury. In the normal infants, increases in PaCO2 of about 1-2kPa caused cerebral blood volume to increase by 0.5 to 1.8ml.100g−1.kPa−1: the size of the increase appeared to be gestation-dependent. Estimated cerebral blood flow increased correspondingly. In the 7 infants with cerebral injuries the responses to changes in PaCO2 were usually less. In 3 term infants who had been severely birth-asphyxiated they were absent or grossly reduced and all 3 had elevated cerebral blood volumes. 3 of the 7 infants died and all 4 survivors had loss of brain tissue. We conclude that: 1) the sensitivity of the cerebral vasculature to PaCO2 probably increases with gestation, 2) cerebral injury is associated with diminished or absent responses to PaCO2.
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Wyatt, J., Cope, M., Delpy, D. et al. RESPONSES OF CEREBRAL VASCULATURE TO CHANGES IN ARTERIAL CARBON DIOXIDE TENSION MEASURED BY NEAR INFRARED SPECTROSCOPY IN NEWBORN INFANTS. Pediatr Res 22, 230 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198708000-00102
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198708000-00102