Enhanced external counterpulsation treatment attenuate the injury of brain dog model of cardiac arrest

Objective To investigate the therapeutic effects of enhanced external counterpulsation (EECP) on cerebral edema and cerebral blood flow perfusion with MRI following cardiac arrest (CA) and on successful return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) by cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in dogs.Methods Sixteen beagle dogs were induced CA with alternating current on epicardium,then were randomly (random number) divided into the EECP and control group after successful ROSC.MR scanning brain of all animals was carried out by diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) and perfusion weighted imaging (PWI) before CA and on the first,second and third days after ROSC.Blood pressure,right common carotid artery flow,and intracranial microcirculation perfusion were measured.Results There were no significant differences in mean artery pressure at all intervals between two groups (P ＞ 0.05).There was significant increase in right common carotid artery blood flow and intracranial microcirculation of dogs in EECP group compared with the control group (P ＜ 0.05).Apparent diffusion coefficients (ADC) of water molecule on the first and third days after ROSC were significantly higher in the EECP group than those in the control group (P ＜ 0.05).Ratios of post-ROSC relative cerebral blood flow (RCBF) /original cerebral blood flow were higher in the EECP group than those in the control group on the first,second and third days after ROSC (P ＜ 0.05).Conclusions EECP treatment could improve cerebral blood flow perfusion and relieve ischemic cerebral edema,alleviating brain injury in dogs following CA and successful ROSC. Key words: Enhanced external counterpulsation; Cardiac arrest; Cardiopulmonary cerebral resuscitation; Magnetic resonance imaging; Microcirculation; Dog