• J Zhuang, S R Shackford, J D Schmoker, and J A Pietropaoli.
• Department of Surgery, College of Medicine, University of Vermont, Burlington.
• Crit. Care Med. 1995 Jan 1;23(1):140-8.

ObjectivesWe sought to determine the effects of colloid osmotic pressure on cerebral edema formation after brain injury. We hypothesized that an increase in plasma oncotic pressure accompanying a colloid infusion would be associated with a decrease in intracranial pressure and increases in cerebral blood flow and oxygen delivery when compared with isotonic crystalloid.DesignProspective, laboratory study.SettingUniversity surgical research laboratory.SubjectsAdult swine, both genders.InterventionsCryogenic brain injury with intravenous fluid infusion of either lactated Ringer's solution or 6% dextran-70 in normal saline. The effect of this intervention was monitored for 24 hrs.MeasurementsMean arterial pressure, central venous pressure, intracranial pressure, hemoglobin concentration, plasma oncotic pressure, serum osmolality, cerebral blood flow, and specific gravity of cortical biopsies.ResultsCryogenic injury significantly increased the cortical water content and the intracranial pressure and significantly decreased the cerebral blood flow and oxygen delivery (p < .05). Dextran infusion significantly increased the colloid oncotic pressure. There were no differences between the lactated Ringer's solution and dextran groups in intracranial pressure, cerebral oxygen delivery, or cortical water content after 24 hrs.ConclusionsColloid infusion after a focal cryogenic injury does not increase cerebral oxygen delivery or reduce either cerebral edema formation or intracranial pressure when compared with lactated Ringer's solution. Colloid is not superior to isotonic crystalloid in the management of isolated brain injury.

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