Anesthesia for Neurosurgery Flashcards
What vasculature supplies blood to the brain?
internal carotid artery and the vertebral arteries
Where do the 2 vertebral arteries branch off of and how do they get to the brain?
they branch off of the subclavian artery and enter the base of the skull through the foramen magnum, run along the medulla, and join in the pons to form the basilar artery, the basilar artery then branches into 2 posterior cerebral arteries which primarily supply the occipital lobes of the brain
What do the internal carotid arteries branch into?
- middle cerebral artery: supplies lateral surface of the brain and runs between frontal and temporal lobes
- posterior communicating artery
- anterior cerebral artery: supplies the frontal lobe
What and where is the circle of willis?
located at the base of the brain and forms an anastomotic ring that includes vertebral (basilar) and internal carotid flow
What happens if one portion of cerebral blood flow becomes obstructed in the circle of willis?
other blood flow will compensate and give collateral flow
Where is the most common site of aneurysm and atherosclerosis in the circle of willis?
middle cerebral artery
What vessel provides majority of blood flow to the brain?
internal carotid artery (85%), supplies anterior 2/3 surface of brain
How much blood flow comes from the vertebral arteries?
15%, supplies posterior 1/3 of brain
What is normal cerebral blood flow?
50 mL/100 gm brain tissue/minute (750 mL/min or 15-20% of CO)
At what level of decreased cerebral blood flow classifies cerebral impairment?
decreased flow by 50% (20-25 mL/100 gm/min)
What cerebral flow rate would indicate isoelectric eeg?
6-15 mL/100 gm/min
What cerebral flow rate would indicate neuronal death?
How do you calculate cerebral perfusion pressure?
CPP = MAP - ICP (or CVP)
What is normal CPP?
80-100 mmHg
What is an acceptable low CPP?
50 mmHg
What CPP would indicate slowing EEG?
What CPP would indicate flat EEG?
25-40 mmHg
What CPP would indicate brain damage?
What is CPP primarily dependent on?
MAP since ICP is normally
What metabolic factors regulate CBF?
- H+ ions
- CO2
- oxygen tension
What is the most potent determinant of CBF?
CO2, directly proportional relationship between PaCO2 and CBF with PaCO2 tensions between 20-80 mmHg
What happens to your CBF as your PaCO2 increases?
increased arterial CO2 —> increased cerebral vasodilation —> increased cerebral blood flow
How much does CBF increase or decrease for every 1 mmHg change in PaCO2?
1-2 mL/100 gm/min
Will you CBF change of your PaCO2 is
no, no more vasoconstricting effects below 20 mmHg, may cause cerebral impairment
How much will CBF change for changes in PaO2?
CBF only affected by marked changes in PaO2, PaO2
Will a high PaO2 cause changes in CBF?
NO
How do H+ ions affect CBF?
increased H+ concentration depresses neuronal activity and increases CBF, which helps to carry away H+ and CO so that normal activity can be restored
How does temperature regulate CBF?
- CBF changes 5-7% per 1 degree Celsius
- hypothermia decreases CBF
- hyperthermia increases CBF
At what temperature is EEG isoelectric?
20 degrees Celsius
At what temperature does O2 activity begin to decrease and cell damage may occur?
42 degrees Celsius
How does viscosity affect CBF?
- decreased Hct causes decreased viscosity and can improve CBF; however, reductio in Hct also decreases O2 carrying capacity
- increased Hct (polycythemias) causes increased viscosity and can reduce CBF
What is the optimum Hct for neurosurgery?
30-34%
What are autonomic influences on CBF?
- cerebral circulation has extensive sympathetic nervous innervations
- conditions that cause very strong sympathetic activity, the cerebral vasoconstrictor activity may become apparent, especially in large cerebral vessels
What MAP range is the brain able to autoregulate CBF?
50-150 mmHg
What happens of the MAP falls out of the range for cerebral autoregulation?
CBF becomes pressure dependent, if MAP falls below 50 mmHg CBF is compromised and if MAP>150 mmHg BBB may be disrupted and cerebral edema or hemorrhage may result
What happens to the cerebral autoregulation curve in patients with chronic HTN?
shifts to the right so higher pressures are necessary to maintain CBF
How is the overall metabolic rate of the brain compared to the metabolic rate of the rest of the body?
cerebral metabolism 7 times greater than the average metabolic rate of the body
How much of the body’s total O2 does the brain consume?
20%
What is the average CMRO2?
3.5 mL O2/100 gm/min (50 mL/min)
What happens if you have relatively high O2 consumption and absence of O2 reserves?
unconsciousness within 10 seconds with interruption of cerebral perfusion
Can the brain be supplied by anaerobic glycolysis?
No, because the metabolic rate of the neurons is too great
What is the average brain glucose consumption?
5 mg/100gm/min
What becomes a major energy substitute for the brain during starvation?
ketone bodies
How does hyperglycemia affect the brain?
can exacerbate global hypoxic brain injury by accelerating cerebral acidosis and cellular injury
How do volatiles affect your CMRO2?
decrease CMRO2
How do volatiles affect CBF?
greatly increase CBF
How are the junctions between vascular endothelial cells in cerebral capillaries different?
near fused together (tight-junctions) which creates the blood brain barrier
What substances are able to pass through the BBB?
lipid-soluble substances (CO2, O2, most anesthetics, alcohol) but restricts movement of ions, proteins, and large molecules
Can mannitol cross the BBB?
No, but used when vasculature osmolality increases and causes sustained decrease in brain H2O content and thus decreases brain volume
What can disrupt the BBB?
severe HTN, CVA, head trauma, cerebral infection
Where is CSF found?
within the ventricles of the brain, in the cisterns around the brain, and in the subarachnoid space surrounding the brain and spinal cord
What is the major function of CSF?
protect the CNS against trauma
What is the normal rate of CSF production per day?
~21 mL/hr, but total CSF volume is only 150 mL
Where is ICP measured?
in the subarachnoid space over the cerebral cortex or in the lateral ventricles
What is the normal ICP range?
5-15 mmHg
What is the Monro-Kellie doctrine?
any increase in one component must be offset by an equivalent decrease in another to prevent a rise in ICP
How are increases in volume initially compensated for in the brain?
- initial displacement of CSF from the cranial to the spinal compartment
- increase in CSF absorption by the arachnoid villi, which acts as “pressure valves” that open up when ICP increases
- decrease in CSF production
- decrease in cerebral blood volume, primarily venous
What is intracranial HTn?
a point is eventually reached in which further increases produce precipitous rises in ICP, producing intracranial HTN
What range is mild intracranial HTN?
15-25 mmHg
What range is moderate intracranial HTN?
25-40 mmHg
What range is severe intracranial HTN?
> 40 mmHg
What are signs of increased ICP?
- HA
- NV
- blurred vision
- unilateral pupillary dilation
- papilledema
- confusion, altered LOC
- lethargy
- seizures
- Cushing’s triad (HTN, bradycardia, irregular respirations)
- posturing
- oculomotor nerve (III) paralysis (inability to adduct eye)
- abducens nerve (VI) (inability to abduct eye)
How can you manage increased ICP?
- hyperventilate to PaCO2 30-35 mmHg
- diuretics (Manitol 0.25-1.0 gm/kg or lasix)
- corticosteroid to decrease edema
- restrict fluids
- elevate HOB 30 degrees, keep head midline
- control BP
- cool pt to 34 degrees Celsius
- ventriculostomy
Why do anesthetic agents have luxury perfusion?
combination of decreased metabolic demand and increased cerebral blood flow, allows for great perfusion during induced hypotension or cases that increase risk of global ischemia
What is circulatory steal?
- in ischemic brain regions, blood vessels are maximally dilated, in non-ischemic regions, blood vessels have tone
- vasodilators (volatile agents, NTG, SNP) and hypercarbia from hypoventilation cause vessels in non-ischemic regions to dilate so flow to ischemic brain decreases
What is the robin hood effect or inverse steal?
- barbituates and hyperventilation (hypocarbia) cause cerebral vasoconstriction in normal or healthy areas of the brain
- blood flow is thus shunted to the diseased areas
- good for patients with focal ischemia or tumors