Journal article

Publication year: 2013

Journal: Journal of Cardiothoracic Surgery

Volume number: 8

ISSN: 1749-8090

Open access status: Gold

DOI Link: https://doi.org/10.1186/1749-8090-8-198

Publisher: BioMed Central

Abstract: 

Background: Cerebral air microembolization (CAM) is a frequent side effect of diagnostic or therapeutic interventions. Besides reduction of the amount of bubbles, filter systems in the clinical setting may also lead to a dispersion of large gas bubbles and therefore to an increase of the gas-liquid-endothelium interface. We evaluated the production and application of different strictly defined bubble diameters in a rat model of CAM and assessed functional outcome and infarct volumes in relation to the bubble diameter.

Methods: Gas emboli of defined number and diameter were injected into the carotid artery of rats. Group I (n = 7) received 1800 air bubbles with a diameter of 45 mu m, group II (n = 7) 40 bubbles of 160 mu m, controls (n = 6) saline without gas bubbles; group I and II yielded the same total injection volume of air with 86 nl. Functional outcome was assessed at baseline, after 4 h and 24 h following cerebral MR imaging and infarct size calculation.

Results: Computer-aided evaluation of bubble diameters showed high constancy (group I: 45.83 mu m +/- 2.79; group II: 159 mu m +/- 1.26). Animals in group I and II suffered cerebral ischemia and clinical deterioration without significant difference. Infarct sizes did not differ significantly between the two groups (p = 0.931 u-test).

Conclusions: We present further development of a new method, which allows reliable and controlled CAM with different bubble diameters, producing neurological deficits due to unilateral cerebral damage. Our findings could not display a strong dependency of stroke frequency and severity on bubble diameter.

Harvard Citation style: Juenemann, M., Yeniguen, M., Schleicher, N., Blumenstein, J., Nedelmann, M., Tschernatsch, M., et al. (2013) Impact of bubble size in a rat model of cerebral air microembolization, Journal of Cardiothoracic Surgery, 8, Article 198. https://doi.org/10.1186/1749-8090-8-198

APA Citation style: Juenemann, M., Yeniguen, M., Schleicher, N., Blumenstein, J., Nedelmann, M., Tschernatsch, M., Bachmann, G., Kaps, M., Urbanek, P., Schoenburg, M., & Gerriets, T. (2013). Impact of bubble size in a rat model of cerebral air microembolization. Journal of Cardiothoracic Surgery. 8, Article 198. https://doi.org/10.1186/1749-8090-8-198