Pressure-support compared with pressure-controlled ventilation mitigates lung and brain injury in experimental acute ischemic stroke in rats

Background We aimed to evaluate the pulmonary and cerebral effects of low-tidal volume ventilation in pressure-support (PSV) and pressure-controlled (PCV) modes at two PEEP levels in acute ischemic stroke (AIS). Methods In this randomized experimental study, AIS was induced by thermocoagulation in 30 healthy male Wistar rats. After 24 h, AIS animals were randomly assigned to PSV or PCV with V T = 6 mL/kg and PEEP = 2 cmH 2 O (PSV-PEEP2 and PCV-PEEP2) or PEEP = 5 cmH 2 O (PSV-PEEP5 and PCV-PEEP5) for 2 h. Lung mechanics, arterial blood gases, and echocardiography were evaluated before and after the experiment. Lungs and brain tissue were removed for histologic and molecular biology analysis. The primary endpoint was diffuse alveolar damage (DAD) score; secondary endpoints included brain histology and brain and lung molecular biology markers. Results In lungs, DAD was lower with PSV-PEEP5 than PCV-PEEP5 ( p < 0.001); interleukin (IL)-1β was lower with PSV-PEEP2 than PCV-PEEP2 ( p = 0.016) and PSV-PEEP5 than PCV-PEEP5 ( p = 0.046); zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1) was lower in PCV-PEEP5 than PCV-PEEP2 ( p = 0.042). In brain, necrosis, hemorrhage, neuropil edema, and CD45 + microglia were lower in PSV than PCV animals at PEEP = 2 cmH 2 O ( p = 0.036, p = 0.025, p = 0.018, p = 0.011, respectively) and PEEP = 5 cmH 2 O ( p = 0.003, p = 0.003, p = 0.007, p = 0.003, respectively); IL-1β was lower while ZO-1 was higher in PSV-PEEP2 than PCV-PEEP2 ( p = 0.009, p = 0.007, respectively), suggesting blood–brain barrier integrity. Claudin-5 was higher in PSV-PEEP2 than PSV-PEEP5 ( p = 0.036). Conclusion In experimental AIS, PSV compared with PCV reduced lung and brain injury. Lung ZO-1 reduced in PCV with PEEP = 2 versus PEEP = 5 cmH 2 O, while brain claudin-5 increased in PSV with PEEP = 2 versus PEEP = 5 cmH 2 O.