Effect of pneumatic trousers on intracranial pressure in hypovolemic dogs with an intracranial mass.

Thirty-six dogs under chloralose anesthesia were studied in groups of six. Arterial pressure (BP), central venous pressure (CVP), intracranial pressure (ICP), and arterial blood gases were monitored. The group underwent: 1) anesthesia only; 2) phlebotomy (P) (40% of blood volume) and reinfusion (RI) of half the shed blood plus Ringer's lactate solution; 3) P followed by pneumatic trousers (PT), and then RI; 4) inflation of an epidural 2-cc Foley catheter (EFC); 5) P followed by EFC and then RI; and 6) P followed by EFC and then by PT and RI. Group 1 was stable. In Group 2, P lowered BP (49 torr systolic +/- 6 SEM), CVP, and ICP. RI restored these. In Group 3, the PT improved BP (P less than .05) without increasing ICP. In Group 4, EFC increased ICP (P less than .05) to 15 +/- 4 torr. In Groups 5 and 6, ICP was not significantly increased by EFC or PT and RI.