Interaction between Brain Chemistry and Physiology after Traumatic Brain Injury: Impact of Autoregulation and Microdialysis Catheter Location

Bedside monitoring of cerebral metabolism in traumatic brain injury (TBI) with microdialysis is gaining wider clinical acceptance. The objective of this study was to examine the relationship between the fundamental physiological neuromonitoring modalities intracranial pressure (ICP), cerebral perfusion pressure (CPP), brain tissue oxygen (PbtO2), and cerebrovascular pressure reactivity index (PRx), and cerebral chemistry assessed with microdialysis, with particular focus on the lactate/pyruvate (LP) ratio as a marker of energy metabolism. Prospectively collected observational neuromonitoring data from 97 patients with TBI, requiring neurointensive care management and invasive cerebral monitoring, were analyzed. A linear mixed model analysis was used to account for individual patient differences. Perilesional tissue chemistry exhibited a significant independent relationship with ICP, PbtO2 and CPP thresholds, with increasing LP ratio in response to decrease in PbtO2 and CPP, and increase in ICP. The relationship between CPP and chemistry depended upon the state of PRx. Within the studied physiological range, tissue chemistry only changed in response to increasing ICP or drop in PbtO2 < 1.33 kPa (10 mmHg). In agreement with previous studies, significantly higher levels of cerebral lactate (p < 0.001), glycerol (p = 0.013), LP ratio (p < 0.001) and lactate/glucose (LG) ratio (p = 0.003) were found in perilesional tissue, compared to normal brain tissue (Mann-Whitney test). These differences remained significant following adjustment for the influences of other important physiological parameters (ICP, CPP, PbtO2, PbtCO2, PRx, and brain temperature; mixed linear model), suggesting that they may reflect inherent tissue properties related to the initial injury. Despite inherent biochemical differences between less-injured brain and perilesional cerebral tissue, both tissue types exhibited relationships between established physiological variables and biochemistry. Decreases in perfusion and oxygenation were associated with deteriorating neurochemistry and these effects were more pronounced in perilesional tissue and when cerebrovascular reactivity was impaired.