Cerebral blood flow (CBF) dysregulation has been implicated in a wide variety of conditions. Cerebrovascular reactivity (CVR) to CO2 may be a biomarker of CBF dysregulation. NIRS-measured regional cerebral tissue oxygen saturation (rSO2) is a non-invasive measurement made with portable and relatively inexpensive devices. We previously reported that monitoring rSO2 can identify changes in cerebrovascular dynamics in response to hypercapnic breathing challenges. The present study builds on this work, employing rSO2 to characterize changes in CBF correlates during hypercapnic breathing challenges, with a new focus on correlations with NIRS-measured vital signs. A custom breathing circuit was used to deliver a series of hypercapnic breathing challenges and recovery periods to healthy young adult subjects grouped into three exercise factors. Change in rSO2 from intra- to pre-challenge (ΔrSO2) correlated positively with change in heart rate (ΔHRhyp). Athletes showed higher ∆HRhyp than casual and non-exercisers. We previously established that athletes showed higher ΔrSO2 responses to hypercapnic breathing challenges. While the relationships between ΔrSO2 and ΔHRhyp and change in end tidal CO2 (ΔPETCO2) in response to hypercapnic breathing challenges appears to be in tact in the healthy young adults studied, and more pronounced in athletes, these relationships may not be preserved in cases of compromised CVR. Change in respiration rate correlated negatively with ΔPETCO2. Establishing baseline values of rSO2, PETCO2, HR, and RR may be useful in identifying changes in an individual’s CVR. Combined monitoring of rSO2, PETCO2, HR, and RR presents a portable, inexpensive, noninvasive NIRS-based modality for detecting changes in cerebrovascular health.
Alterations to cerebral blood flow (CBF) have been implicated in diverse neurological conditions. Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS)-measured regional cerebral tissue oxygen saturation (rSO2) provides an estimate of oxygenation of interrogated cerebral volume useful in identifying variations in oxygen supply to cerebral tissue and in monitoring cerebrovascular function. CO2-inhalation-based hypercapnic breathing challenges were used to simulate CBF dysregulation, utilizing NIRS to monitor the CBF autoregulatory response. A breathing circuit was designed to administer CO2-compressed air mixtures and assess CBF regulatory responses to hypercapnia in 26 healthy young adults. One to three hypercapnic challenges of 5 or 10 min duration were delivered to each subject while continuously monitoring rSO2, partial pressure of end tidal CO2 (PETCO2), and vital signs. Change in rSO2 (ΔrSO2) during CO2 inhalation positively correlated to ΔPETCO2 (R2=0.40). Grouping subjects into three exercise factor levels (h/week), (1) 0, (2) >0 and <10, and (3) >10 showed significantly greater ΔrSO2 responses to CO2 challenges for level 3 subjects but similar PETCO2 responses for the three groups. Exercising greater than 10 h/week may produce a higher resting cerebrovascular reactivity (CVR) to CO2 inhalation. Establishing baseline values of rSO2 and CVR to CO2 may aid in early detection of CBF changes.
Alterations to cerebral blood flow (CBF) have been implicated in diverse neurological conditions, including mild
traumatic brain injury, microgravity induced intracranial pressure (ICP) increases, mild cognitive impairment, and
Alzheimer’s disease. Near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS)-measured regional cerebral tissue oxygen saturation (rSO2)
provides an estimate of oxygenation of the interrogated cerebral volume that is useful in identifying trends and changes
in oxygen supply to cerebral tissue and has been used to monitor cerebrovascular function during surgery and ventilation.
In this study, CO2-inhalation-based hypercapnic breathing challenges were used as a tool to simulate CBF dysregulation,
and NIRS was used to monitor the CBF autoregulatory response. A breathing circuit for the selective administration of
CO2-compressed air mixtures was designed and used to assess CBF regulatory responses to hypercapnia in 26 healthy
young adults using non-invasive methods and real-time sensors. After a 5 or 10 minute baseline period, 1 to 3
hypercapnic challenges of 5 or 10 minutes duration were delivered to each subject while rSO2, partial pressure of end
tidal CO2 (PETCO2), and vital signs were continuously monitored. Change in rSO2 measurements from pre- to intrachallenge
(ΔrSO2) detected periods of hypercapnic challenges. Subjects were grouped into three exercise factor levels
(hr/wk), 1: 0, 2:>0 and <10, and 3:>10. Exercise factor level 3 subjects showed significantly greater ΔrSO2 responses to
CO2 challenges than level 2 and 1 subjects. No significant difference in ΔPETCO2 existed between these factor levels.
Establishing baseline values of rSO2 in clinical practice may be useful in early detection of CBF changes.
Medical laser applications are promoted as safe, effective treatments for a multiplicity of concerns, ranging from hyperthermal skin rejuvenation to subcutaneous tumor ablation. Chromophore and structural protein concentration and distribution within a patient’s tissue vary from patient to patient and dictate the interaction of incident radiative energy of a specific wavelength with the target tissue. Laser parameters must be matched to tissue optical and thermal properties in order to achieve the desired therapeutic results without inducing unnecessary tissue damage, although accurate tissue optical properties are not always measured prior to and during laser therapies. A weighted variable step size Monte Carlo simulation of laser irradiation of skin tissue was used to determine the effects of variations in absorption (μa) and scattering coefficients (μs) and the degree of anisotropy (g) on the radiant energy transport per mm2 in response to steady-state photon propagation. The three parameters were varied in a factorial experimental design for the ranges of 0.25/mm ≤ μa ≤ 2.0/mm, 30.0/mm ≤ μs ≤ 140.0/mm, and 0.65 ≤ g ≤ 0.99 in order to isolate their impacts on the overall fluence distribution. Box plots of the resulting fluence profiles were created and compared to identify ranges in which optical property variance could be considered to significantly impact the spatial variance of fluence within the simulation volume. Results indicated that accurate prediction of the fluence profiles that will be achieved by any given medical laser treatment is unlikely without pre-treatment assessment of the tissue optical properties of individual patients.
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