Failure of nimodipine to improve neurologic outcome after eighteen minutes of cardiac arrest in the cat

• Published in: Resuscitation Vol. 21; no. 2; pp. 191 - 206
• Main Authors: Tateishi, Akio, Scheller, Mark S., Drummond, John C., Zornow, Mark H., Grafe, Marjorie R., Fleischer, Jerry E., Shapiro, Harvey M.
• Format: Book Review Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Shannon Elsevier Ireland Ltd 01.04.1991; Elsevier
• Subjects: Animals; Biological and medical sciences; Calcium entry blocker; Cardiac arrest; Cats; Central Nervous System Diseases - drug therapy; Central Nervous System Diseases - etiology; Cerebral ischemia; Cerebral protection; Electroencephalography; Heart Arrest - complications; Heart Arrest - therapy; Hemodynamics - drug effects; Medical sciences; Miscellaneous; Neuropharmacology; Nimodipine; Nimodipine - therapeutic use; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Resuscitation; Time Factors; Cerebral ischemia; Cats; Cerebral protection; Nimodipine; Calcium entry blocker; Cardiac arrest; Fissipedia; Brain; Animal model; Intensive cardiocirculatory care; Carnivora; Cardiocirculatory arrest; Calcium antagonist; Cardiovascular disease; Nervous system; Recovery; Vertebrata; Chemotherapy; Mammalia; Treatment; Ischemia; Animal; Cat
• ISSN: 0300-9572; 1873-1570
• DOI: 10.1016/0300-9572(91)90046-2

The calcium entry blocker nimodipine was administered to cats following resuscitation from 18 min of cardiac arrest to evaluate its effect on neurologic and neuropathologic outcome in a clinically relevant model of complete cerebral ischemia. Cardiac arrest (ventricular fibrillation) was maintained for 18 min and resuscitation was performed by a standardized protocol in 40 cats. Beginning at 5 min post-resuscitation, nimodipine, 10 μg/kg over 2 min followed by 1 μg/kg per min for 10 h, or the same volume of placebo was administered in a randomized, blinded fashion. Neurologic deficits were scored at 2, 4, and 7 days post-resuscitation by observers blinded to the treatment group. Thirty cats were evaluated neurologically at 7 days post-resuscitation and were entered into data analysis (n = 15 per group). Neither neurologic deficit scores nor neuropathologic scores were significantly different between groups. The authors conclude that nimodipine administration in the manner and doses stated does not improve neurologic outcome in cats following resuscitation from cardiac arrest.