Improved short-term neurological recovery with flunarizine in a canine model of cardiac arrest

Abstract A 10-minute cardiac arrest was produced in dogs by electrical fibrillation of the heart. Recovery of cerebral function was monitored by estimating the cerebral metabolic rate of oxygen consumption (CMRO 2 ), cerebral blood flow (CBF), electroencephalograph (EEG) and extent of neurological deficit. The study group received flunarizine (0.1 mg/kg intravenously) at the beginning of resuscitation, while control animals were given the drug vehicle. By four hours after resuscitation, CMRO 2 in flunarizine-treated dogs was 121 ± 43% of pre-arrest baseline, as compared with 37 ± 9% in control animals ( P P P P