Effects of Argon and mild therapeutic hypothermia on neurological outcome after prolonged cardiac arrest in pigs

• Applicant: Dr. Anne Brücken, since 2/2015
• Subject Area: Anaesthesiology
• Term: from 2012 to 2016
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 230797551

Xenon is a well studied noble gas with anesthetic properties currently undergoing clinical phase II trials to demonstrate beneficial effects in patients with cerebral injury from cardiac arrest and newborns with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy. Pending these results it has to be acknowledged that Xenon is very expensive and needs to be delivered with specialized equipment possibly limiting its widespread use. The noble gas Argon in contrast is the fourth most common gas in the atmosphere. Although under normobaric conditions Argon does not produce anesthesia it seems to have also neuroprotective properties. In this proposal we aim to explore the possible neuroprotective potency of Argon in combination with mild therapeutic hypothermia in a large animal model of cardiac arrest and resuscitation.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• Participating Person: Professor Dr. Thomas Pufe
• Ehemaliger Antragsteller: Privatdozent Dr. Michael Fries, until 2/2015