A Study of Internal Jugular Venous Blood Oxygen Content in Various Severe Intracranial Lesions.

Lee, K H; Lee, K C; Lee, H J; Kim, S C; Kim, Y S; Han, Y S

Original Article

Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society 1976;5(2): 55-60.

K H Lee, K C Lee, H J Lee, S C Kim, Y S Kim, Y S Han

Department of Neurosurgery, Yonsei University, College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.

ABSTRACT

Hyperoxia of internal jugular venous blood seems to be thought as possible one of the laboratory criteria in brain death, easily taken at bedside. Recently many authors have been augumented that difference of oxygen content between the internal carotid arterial and internal jugular venous blood is a little in the comatose patients, especially more in brain death. We have studied the difference of oxygen content between internal carotid arterial and internal jugular venous blood in 20 cases of 19 patients of various severe intracranial lesions. The mean value and standard error of it was 1.216+/-.231 vol. % and at 95 confidence its area was 0.733 to 1.699 vol. %. Therefore the author speculate that the level lower than 1.7 vol. %. of arterio-jugular venous oxygen content difference is brain death. Possible mechanisms of high oxygen content in the jugular venous blood in the state of brain death are discussed.