Open AccessContinuous Positive Airway Pressure Breathing Increases Cerebral Blood Flow Velocity in Humans
Author(s) -
HansPeter Haring,
Ch. Hörmann,
S. Schalow,
A. Benzer
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
anesthesia and analgesia/anesthesia and analgesia
Language(s) - Uncategorized
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.404
H-Index - 201
eISSN - 1526-7598
pISSN - 0003-2999
DOI - 10.1213/00000539-199411000-00011
Subject(s) - medicine , transcranial doppler , cerebral blood flow , continuous positive airway pressure , anesthesia , breathing , middle cerebral artery , mean airway pressure , cardiology , blood pressure , respiration , airway , ischemia , anatomy , obstructive sleep apnea
The effect of a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) of 12 cm H2O on mean middle cerebral artery flow velocity (CBFV) was studied in nine human volunteers by means of transcranial Doppler sonography (TCD). During CPAP breathing, CBFV increased (45 +/- 9 vs 59 +/- 11 cm/s; P < 0.001; mean +/- SD), and pulsatility index (PI) decreased (0.87 +/- 0.1 vs 0.74 +/- 0.2; P < 0.05), indicating an increase in cerebral blood flow due to cerebral vasodilation. This phenomenon should be taken into account when CPAP is applied to patients with intracranial disease or when assessing CBFV patterns of patients during CPAP respiration.