Dynamic cerebral autoregulation during step-wise increases in blood pressure during anaesthesia

BACKGROUND Classically, cerebral autoregulation (CA) entails cerebral blood flow (CBF) remaining constant by cerebrovascular tone adapting to fluctuations in mean arterial pressure (MAP) between ∼60 and ∼150 mmHg. However, this is not an on–off mechanism; previous work has suggested that vasomotor tone is proportionally related to CA function. During propofol-based anaesthesia, there is cerebrovascular vasoconstriction, and static CA remains intact. Sevoflurane-based anaesthesia induces cerebral vasodilation and attenuates CA dose-dependently. It is unclear how this translates to dynamic CA across a range of blood pressures in the autoregulatory range. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to quantify the effect of step-wise increases in MAP between 60 and 100 mmHg, using phenylephrine, on dynamic CA during propofol- and sevoflurane-based anaesthesia. DESIGN A nonrandomised interventional trial. SETTING Single centre enrolment started on 11 January 2019 and ended on 23 September 2019. PATIENTS We studied American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) I/II patients undergoing noncardiothoracic, nonneurosurgical and nonlaparoscopic surgery under general anaesthesia. INTERVENTION In this study, cerebrovascular tone was manipulated in the autoregulatory range by increasing MAP step-wise using phenylephrine in patients receiving either propofol- or sevoflurane-based anaesthesia. MAP and mean middle cerebral artery blood velocity (MCA V mean ) were measured in ASA I and II patients, anaesthetised with either propofol ( n = 26) or sevoflurane ( n = 28), during 10 mmHg step-wise increments of MAP between 60 and 100 mmHg. Static CA was determined by plotting 2-min averaged MCA V mean versus MAP. Dynamic CA was determined using transfer function analysis and expressed as the phase lead (°) between MAP and MCA V mean oscillations, created with positive pressure ventilation with a frequency of 6 min −1 . MAIN OUTCOMES The primary outcome of this study was the response of dynamic CA during step-wise increases in MAP during propofol- and sevoflurane-based anaesthesia. RESULTS MAP levels achieved per step-wise increments were comparable between anaesthesia regiment (63 ± 3, 72 ± 2, 80 ± 2, 90 ± 2, 100 ± 3 mmHg, and 61 ± 4, 71 ± 2, 80 ± 2, 89 ± 2, 98 ± 4 mmHg for propofol and sevoflurane, respectively). MCA V mean increased more during step-wise MAP increments for sevoflurane compared to propofol ( P ≤0.001). Dynamic CA improved during propofol (0.73° mmHg −1 , 95% CI 0.51 to 0.95; P ≤ 0.001)) and less pronounced during sevoflurane-based anaesthesia (0.21° mmHg −1 (95% CI 0.01 to 0.42, P = 0.04). CONCLUSIONS During general anaesthesia, dynamic CA is dependent on MAP, also within the autoregulatory range. This phenomenon was more pronounced during propofol anaesthesia than during sevoflurane. TRIAL REGISTRATION NCT03816072 (https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03816072).