• Wolfgang Weihs, Alexandra-Maria Warenits, Florian Ettl, Magnet Ingrid Anna Maria IAM Department of Emergency Medicine, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria., Harald Herkner, Anne Margarethe Kramer, Ursula Teubenbacher, Elisabeth Lobmeyr, Christoph Schriefl, Christian Clodi, Barbara Bauder, Akos Tiboldi, Michael Holzer, Andreas Janata, and Sandra Högler.
• Department of Emergency Medicine, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
• Shock. 2020 Oct 1; 54 (4): 531-538.

PurposeThe cornu ammonis 1 (CA1) region of the hippocampus is specifically vulnerable to global ischemia. We hypothesized that histopathological outcome in a ventricular fibrillation cardiac arrest (VFCA) rat model depends on the time point of the examination.MethodsMale Sprague-Dawley rats were put into VFCA for 8 min, received chest compressions for 2 min, and were defibrillated to achieve return of spontaneous circulation. Animals surviving for 80 min, 14 days and 140 days were compared with controls. Viable neurons were counted in a 500 μm sector of the CA1 region and layer thickness measured. Microglia cells and astrocytes were counted in a 250×300 μm aspect.ResultsControl and 80 min surviving animals had similar numbers of pyramidal neurons in the CA1 region. In 14 days and 140 days survivors neuron numbers and layer thickness were severely diminished compared with controls (P < 0.001). Two-thirds of the 140 days survivors showed significantly more viable neurons than the last third. Microglia was increased in 14 days survivors compared with controls and 140 days survivors, while astrocytes increased in 14 days and 140 days survivors compared with controls (P < 0.001). 140 days survivors had significantly higher astrocyte counts compared with 14 days survivors.ConclusionsThe amount and type of brain lesions present after global ischemia depend on the survival time. A consistent reduction in pyramidal cells in the CA1 region was present in all animals 14 days after VFCA, but in two-thirds of animals a repopulation of pyramidal cells seems to have taken place after 140 days.

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