Intratracheal Suctioning in Sick Preterm Infants: Prevention of Intracranial Hypertension and Cerebral Hypoperfusion by Muscle Paralysis

Abstract

In a prospective nonrandomized study, using each baby as his or her own control, we compared intracranial pressure (anterior fontanel pressure as measured with the Digilab pneumotonometer), cerebral perfusion pressure, BP, heart rate, transcutaneous Po2, and transcutaneous Pco₂ before, during, and after endotracheal suctioning, with and without muscle paralysis, in 28 critically ill preterm infants with respiratory distress syndrome. With suctioning, there was a small but significant increase in intracranial pressure in paralyzed patients (from 13.7 [mean] ± 4.4 mm Hg [SD] to 15.8 ± 5.2 mm Hg) but a significantly larger (P < .001) increase when they were not paralyzed (from 12.5 ± 3.6 to 28.5 ± 8.3 mm Hg). Suctioning led to a slight increase in BP with (from 45.3 ± 9.1 to 48.0 ± 8.7 mm Hg) and without muscle paralysis (from 45.1 ± 9.4 to 50.0 ± 11.7 mm Hg); but there was no significant difference between the two groups. The cerebral perfusion pressure in paralyzed infants did not show any significant change before, during, and after suctioning (31.5 ± 9.1 mm Hg before v 32.0 ± 8.7 mm Hg during suctioning), but without muscle paralysis cerebral perfusion pressure decreased (P < .001) from 32.8 ± 9.7 to 21.3 ± 13.1 mm Hg. Suctioning induced a slight decrease in mean heart rate and transcutaneous Po₂, but pancuronium did not alter these changes. There was no statistical difference in transcutaneous Pco₂, before, during, and after suctioning with and without muscle paralysis. Our data demonstrate that muscle paralysis in sick preterm infants can significantly minimize the increase in intracranial pressure and can stabilize the cerebral perfusion pressure without having any effect on the BP increase during suctioning.