Background
Individualizing arterial blood pressure (ABP) targets during cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) based on cerebral blood flow (CBF) autoregulation monitoring may provide a more effective means for preventing cerebral hypoperfusion than the current standard of care. Autoregulation can be monitored in real-time with transcranial Doppler (TCD). We have previously demonstrated that near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) derived regional cerebral oxygen saturation (rScO2) provides a clinically suitable surrogate of CBF for autoregulation monitoring. The purpose of this study was to determine the accuracy of a stand-alone “plug-and-play” investigational system for autoregulation monitoring that uses a commercially available NIRS monitor with TCD methods.
Methods
TCD monitoring of middle cerebral artery CBF velocity and NIRS monitoring was performed in 70 patients during CPB. Indices of autoregulation were computed by both a personal computer-based system and an investigational prototype NIRS-based monitor. A moving linear correlation coefficient between slow waves of ABP and CBF velocity (mean velocity index, M×) and between ABP and rScO2 (cerebral oximetry index, CO×) were calculated. When CBF is autoregulated, there is no correlation between CBF and ABP; when CBF is dysregulated, M× and CO× approach 1 (i.e., CBF and ABP are correlated). Linear regression and bias analysis was performed between time-averaged values of M× and CO× derived from the personal computer-based system and from CO× measured with the prototype monitor. Values for M× and CO× were categorized in 5 mmHg bins of ABP for each patient. The lower limit of CBF autoregulation) was defined as the ABP where M× incrementally increased to ≥ 0.4.
Results
There was correlation and good agreement between CO× derived from the prototype monitor and M× (r=0.510, 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.414 to 0.595, p<0.001; bias -0.07 ± 0.19). The correlation and bias between the personal computer-based CO× and CO× from the prototype NIRS monitor were r=0.957, 95% CI, 0.945 to 0.966, p<0.001 and 0.06±0.06, respectively. The average ABP at the lower limit of autoregulation was 63 ± 11 mmHg (95% prediction interval, 52 to 74 mmHg mmHg). While the mean ABP at the CO×-determined lower limit of autoregulation determined with the prototype monitor was statistically different from that determined by M× (59 ± 9 mmHg, 95% prediction interval, 50 to 68 mmHg, p=0.026), the difference is not likely clinically meaningful.
Conclusions
Monitoring CBF autoregulation with an investigational stand-alone NIRS monitor is correlated and in good agreement with TCD based methods. Availability of such a device would allow wide-spread autoregulation monitoring as a means of individualizing ABP targets during CPB.