Intravenous infusion of calcium antagonist, nicardipine, does not increase intracranial pressure: evaluation in a rat model of transient cerebral ischemia and reperfusion

摘要

Objective and method: Early use of parenteral antihypertensive drugs is recommended in acutenischemic stroke patients suffering hypertensive emergencies. Calcium antagonist has beennwidely employed, although there is controversy as to whether calcium antagonist can benadministered safely to patients with intracranial hypertension. In a rat model of transient cerebralnischemia and reperfusion, we evaluated the effect of the calcium antagonist, nicardipine, onnintracranial pressure (ICP). Using spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs), focal cerebralnischemia was induced by an intraluminal thread method. ICP was monitored continuouslynemploying an intraparenchymal catheter. The mean arterial blood pressure (MABP) was reducednby infusing nicardipine intravenously.nResults: Following 6 hours of transient ischemia and reperfusion, MABP was decreased by aboutn10 or 20% as compared to the baseline MABP with low-dose or high-dose nicardipinenadministration, respectively. ICP was significantly increased following reperfusion, although itndid not increase further with nicardipine infusion.nConclusion: Under conditions where ICP was high following reperfusion, nicardipine reducednblood pressure safely without increasing ICP in rats. [Neurol Res 2008; 30: 531–535]