Fig. 1
Cerebral blood flow during cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Neurologic outcome of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) is dependent on oxygen delivery to the brain, and thereby on cerebral blood flow (CBF). CBF drops sharply to 0 ml/min during cardiac arrest (a). Chest compressions reinitiate CBF, but CBF will not reach pre-arrest levels (b). Adrenaline administration during cardiopulmonary resuscitation (c) may result in a reduction of the (already compromised) CBF for the duration of the half-life time of the adrenalin. When return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) is reached, cerebral blood flow is (gradually) restored to normal levels (d). The oxygen debit of the brain during the period of arrest is correlated to the total amount of ‘missed blood flow’ during the arrest, which is the product of the difference in cerebral blood flow before- and during the arrest and the total duration of the arrest (shaded area). The relative contribution of adrenaline to this area (crossed area) is only small