The perfluorocarbon fluoromethyloadamantane offers cerebral protection in a model of isovolemic hemodilution in rabbits

Abstract

Background and Purpose Perfluorocarbons (PFCs) are considered promising cerebral protection agents because they could combine the beneficial effects of decreased blood viscosity with enhanced oxygen-carrying capacity and oxygen tissue delivery, but trials of PFCs as hemodilutants have been very limited. We evaluated fluoromethyloadamantane (FMA), a new perfluorocarbon compound, as an isovolemic hemodilut-ant and compared it with low-molecular-weight dextran 40 (D40) and a control group. Methods Through a transorbital craniectomy, the internal carotid, anterior, and middle cerebral arteries were coagulated to create a cerebral infarction in anesthetized, mechanically ventilated rabbits. No other experimental procedure was performed in control animals. In the two other groups, hemodilution was commenced 30 minutes after the arterial occlusion with either D40 or FMA. Hemodynamic parameters and brain and systemic temperature were monitored throughout the experiments. All animals were killed 6 hours after the arterial occlusion. Results Hemodynamic and metabolic parameters and blood oxygen content were not affected by the infusion of either FMA or D40. Brain and systemic temperature remained constant. The ratio of infarct volume to the hemispheric volume was 19.6±3.7% in the FMA group (n=17), 19.9±4.6% in the D40 group (n=16), and 40.3±5.7% in the control group (n=17). The difference in infarct volume of both FMA and D40 animals compared with controls was statistically significant (P