JOURNAL HOME CME HOME THIS MONTH PAST ISSUES ETOC COLLECTIONS
AUTHORS REVIEWERS EDITORIAL BOARD FEEDBACK RSS HELP
A&A International Anesthesia Research Society
QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


     

Anesth Analg 1986; 65:240-244
© 1986 International Anesthesia Research Society
This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a colleague
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Schubert, A.
Right arrow Articles by Drummond, J. C.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Schubert, A.
Right arrow Articles by Drummond, J. C.

The Effect of Acute Hypocapnia on Human Median Nerve Somatosensory Evoked Responses

Armin Schubert, MD, and John C. Drummond, MD

Departments of Anesthesiology, University of California, San Diego, and US Naval Hospital, San Diego.

Abstract

This study was undertaken to define the effect of acute hypocapnia on intraoperatively recorded somatosensory evoked potentials (SSEPs). Median nerve SSEPs were studied in ten anesthetized neurologically normal adult patients undergoing elective nonneurologic surgery. End-tidal carbon dioxide tension (ETco2) was allowed to stabilize for 15 min before SSEP recordings were obtained during normocapnia (N) (ETco2 = 39.9 ± 1.45 mrn Hg), hypocapnia (H) ETco2 = 20.6 ± 1.07 mm Hg), and after return to normocapnia (NR). Although a trend toward a reduction in the latencies of all SSEP components was evident, only the cervical (C11), and cortical (N1 and P1) latencies decreased significantly with H when compared to N. Mean latencies for C11, N1, and P1 (± SD) were, respectively, 14.80 ± 1.14, 20.93 ± 1.50, and 25.77 ± 2.88 msec during N, and 14.50 ± 1.13, 20.25 ± 1.49, and 24.23 ± 2.52 msec during H. On return to normocapnia, latencies were unchanged from N. Cortical latencies were affected to a greater extent than subcortical ones. Aside from a small but statistically significant increase in C11 amplitude at H (2.05 ± 0.55 µV vs 1.83 ± 0.49 µV at N), SSEP amplitudes were unaffected by hypocapnia. The authors conclude that acute hypocapnia in neurologically normal patients results in a small reduction of SSEP latencies. The magnitude of the change is such that it is unlikely to interfere with recording or interpretation of intraoperative SSEPs.

Key Words: BRAIN, EVOKED POTENTIALS—somatosensory • CARBON DIOXIDE—hypocarbia




This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 Ann. Thorac. Surg.Home page
J. D. Galla, M. A. Ergin, S. L. Lansman, J. N. McCullough, K. H. Nguyen, D. Spielvogel, J. J. Klein, and R. B. Griepp
Use of somatosensory evoked potentials for thoracic and thoracoabdominal aortic resections
Ann. Thorac. Surg., June 1, 1999; 67(6): 1947 - 1952.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins Anesthesia & Analgesia® is published for the International Anesthesia Research Society® by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins with the assistance of Stanford University Libraries' HighWire Press®. Copyright 2006 by the International Anesthesia Research Society. Online ISSN: 1526-7598   Print ISSN: 0003-2999 HighWire Press
Copyright © 1986 by the International Anesthesia Research Society.