Selective brain perfusion improves the neurological outcomes after extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation in a rat model.

Background: The major concern in patients who have suffered from cardiac arrest (CA) and undergone successful extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (E‐CPR) is poor neurological outcomes. In this study, we aimed to introduce a rat model of selective brain perfusion (SBP) during E‐CPR to improve the neurological outcome after CA. Methods: The rats underwent 7 min of untreated asphyxial CA and then were resuscitated with E‐CPR for 30 min. The right external jugular vein and right femoral artery were separately cannulated to the E‐CPR outflow and inflow. The right common carotid artery was cannulated from the proximal to the distal side for SBP. Subsequently, rats were removed from E‐CPR, wounds were closed, and 90 min of intensive care were provided. Neurological deficit scores were tested after 4 h of recovery when the rats were mechanical ventilation‐free. S100 calcium‐binding protein B (S100B) and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) were detected through immunohistochemistry (IHC) of brain tissue. Results: The rats that received SBP while resuscitated by E‐CPR showed markedly better neurological performances after 4‐h recovery than those resuscitated by E‐CPR only. The IHC staining of GFAP and S100B in the hippocampus was low in the rats receiving SBP during E‐CPR, but only GFAP showed significant differences. Conclusions: We successfully developed a novel and reproducible rat model of SBP while resuscitated by E‐CPR to ameliorate the neurological performances after CA. This achievement might have opportunities for studying how to improve the neurological outcome in the clinical condition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]