Grant: Doctoral Research Award: Canada Graduate Scholarships

Approximately 50,000 Canadians a year suffer a cardiac arrest, with only 5-15% of patients surviving to hospital discharge. When the heart stops beating, blood flow to the brain ceases; following resuscitation, low oxygen levels in the brain persist. This leads to severe brain injury and is the primary cause of death in post-cardiac arrest patients. This low oxygen brain injury results in significant inflammation in the brain. While inflammation is a normal response to injury, such as when skin surrounding a cut feels warm and appears red in colour, inflammation in the brain can worsen the severity of brain injury following cardiac arrest. Therefore, we aim to determine the relationship between the severity of low oxygen levels and inflammation in the brain in post-cardiac arrest patients. We will use specialized techniques including direct monitoring of the brain, a technique known as intracranial neuromonitoring. This allows us to measure brain oxygen levels, blood flow in the brain, pressure within the skull and brain, and collect samples of fluid directly within brain tissue. We will also collect blood samples from blood flowing into and out of the brain, enabling us to characterize what molecules the brain is using and producing. These samples will be collected at various time points over the 2-week period post-cardiac arrest. We will analyze these samples for markers of inflammation that will allow us to determine the link between the levels of oxygen in the brain and inflammation. This study will provide new insights into how the brain responds to a lack of oxygen and how treatments that reduce brain inflammation may improve the outcome of patients with brain injury following a cardiac arrest.