Background: 

Intra-arterial nimodipine (IaN) is used in the management of cerebral vasospasm after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH). The impact of IaN therapy on regional cerebral oxygen saturation (rScO₂) assessed by near infra-red spectroscopy, and dynamic cardiac indices, is currently unknown. This study assessed the effect of IaN on rScO₂ and systemic hemodynamic indices during IaN therapy for cerebral vasospasm after aSAH.

Methods: 

This prospective cohort study was conducted in 20 patients over sixteen month period after ethics committee approval and informed consent. Patients with angiographic evidence of vasospasm received IaN 3mg over 30 minutes in the spastic vessels. Data regarding rScO₂ heart rate (HR), mean blood pressure (MBP) cardiac index (CI), stroke volume index (SVI), stroke volume variation (SVV), and total peripheral resistance index (TPRI) were collected during IaN treatment. The primary outcome measure was change in rScO₂ after IaN therapy.

Results: 

There was no significant change from baseline in ipsilateral and contralateral rScO₂ after IaN administration (mean difference [MD], 0.2; 95% confidence interval [CI], −2.1 to 1.6; P=0.804, and 1.3; −1.1 to 3.8; P=0.276, respectively). There was a significant decrease in MBP and TPRI (MD, −12.4; 95% CI, −6.6 to −18.2; P<0.001, and −674.3; −374.9 to −973.7; P<0.001, respectively) and increase in SVI and CI (MD, 7.5; 95% CI, 14.4 to 0.6; P=0.035 and 0.7; 0.9 to 0.4; P<0.001, respectively) after IaN therapy. HR and SVV were unchanged.