Deep hypothermia and circulatory arrest: effect on cerebrospinal fluid electrolytes in newborn lambs.

Abstract Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) Na, K, and acid-base changes were studied in 13 new-born lambs anesthetized with α-chloralose (60 mg/kg) or diethylether during 90 min of normothermic (37 °C) or hypothermic (20 °C) circulatory arrest. CSF K concentration increased linearly from 3.1 to 23.2 meq/liter during 90 min of normothermic circulatory arrest. During hypothermic circulatory arrest, animals anesthetized with α-chloralose exhibited an exponential increase in CSF K concentration from 3.1 to 13.6 meq/liter and animals anesthetized with diethylether had an exponential increase in CSF K concentration from 3.3 to 12.7 meq/liter. The rate of increase in CSF K concentration in hypothermic and normothermic animals between 60 and 90 min of circulatory arrest was the same. CSF Na concentration decreased slightly in both hypothermic and normothermic animals, with a greater decrease in the normothermic group. Although CSF pH and bicarbonate were significantly decreased during normothermia as well as hypothermia, both CSF pH and bicarbonate showed greater decreases during normothermia. Mean pH values after 90 min of circulatory arrest were 6.34, 6.87, and 6.77, respectively, in the normothermic, α-chloralose-hypothermic, and diethylether-hypothermic groups; corresponding values for bicarbonate were 7.7, 13.8, and 12.2 meq/liter. CSF p CO 2 increased linearly from 40.2 to 190.0 Torr during 90 min of normothermic circulatory arrest, from 28.6 to 92 Torr in the ether-hypothermic group, and from 28 to 81 Torr in the α-chloralose-hypothermic group.