INHALATION of either carbon dioxide gas mixtures or 100% oxygen are widely used therapeutically in cerebrovascular disease and conditions causing cerebral anoxia. There is little or no data in man concerning any improvement of oxygen available to the brain resulting from this treatment, although certain drugs are known to increase oxygen available to ischemic brain.1,2
Techniques for monitoring cerebral blood, Po2, Pco2, and pH now permit recording any changes in the composition of the cerebral venous blood during inhalation of oxygen and carbon dioxide gas mixtures. The present communication describes the effects of inhalation of 100% O2, 5% CO2 plus O2, and 5% CO2 plus air on arterial and jugular venous Po2, Pco2, and pH in a group of volunteer subjects with cerebrovascular disease and other disorders.
Material and Methods
Case Material.
—Twenty-six volunteers with various neurological disorders were studied. The age of the subjects ranged from 13 to 81