Objective To establish a stable and reliable model of brain death in swine, and to provide a more stable model for investigating pathomorphology in brain tissue and for studying transplantation immunology during brain death. Methods Base on the classic methodology of increasing epidural intracranial pressure, Codman intracranial pressure moni-toring probes were implanted in landrace pigs invasively. According to the relationship between ICP and MAP, brain death models were established by increasing intracranial pressure slowly and intermittently, with real-time monitoring of the intra-cranial pressure. Results Among twelve experimental landrace pigs, one died from anesthetic accident, while the rest elev-en were successfully established as brain death models. With effective respiratory and circulatory support, those brain death models can be maintained for (31.3 ± 4.7) h. Brain death model establishement is a stable and reliable process demonstrated by transcranial Doppler, EEG, ECG, mean arterial blood pressure and other monitoring methods. After brain death is con-firmed, animal models can be maintained for a long time. Conclusion Our methodology of inducing brain death model un-der ICP monitoring is stable and easy to be standardized. It can also provide a more stable model for studying brain tissue pathomorphology and transplantation immunology.

Objective To reproduce a stable animal model of brain death in pigs, observe the change regularity of cerebral oxygen metabolism during the process of brain death, and to evaluate the significance and value of cerebral oxygen metabolism parameters for the diagnosis of brain death. Methods Twelve landrace pigs were used to create the brain death models using modified method of increasing epidural intracranial pressure (ICP). The mean arterial pressure (MAP) and ICP were monitored continuously during the process. The pigs were divided into four groups according to cerebral perfusion pressure (CPP) decreasing degree during brain death, namely CPP normal group and CPP decreasing 0%-30%, 30%-70%, and 70%-100% groups. Blood gas analysis of the external carotid artery and internal jugular vein were monitored discontinuously. The changes in cerebral oxygen metabolism parameters, including external carotid artery-internal jugular vein bulb oxygen content difference (AJDO2), internal jugular bulb-external carotid artery carbon dioxide partial pressure difference (DPCO2) and DPCO2/AJDO2 ratio, were observed. Results Brain death model were successfully reproduced in 12 experimental pigs. With MAP and ICP monitoring, the models at different stages of CPP could be repeatedly induced. The levels of AJDO2 and DPCO2 were increased gradually and then decreased, while the ratio of DPCO2/AJDO2 was constantly increased with the decrease of CPP. The level of AJDO2 in CPP decreasing 0%-30%group was significantly higher than that in CPP normal group [(5.86±1.21)% vs. (3.92±0.64)%], the levels of DPCO2 in CPP decreasing 0%-30% and CPP decreasing 30%-70% groups were significantly higher than those in CPP normal group [mmHg (1 mmHg = 0.133 kPa): 10.33±1.83, 11.48±2.32 vs. 6.11±1.43], and the ratios of DPCO2/AJDO2 in CPP decreasing 30%-70% and CPP decreasing 70%-100% groups were significantly higher than those in CPP normal group and CPP decreasing 0%-30% group (2.81±0.53, 4.12±1.07 vs. 1.57±0.64, 1.62±0.81). All the differences above were statistically significant (all P < 0.05). Conclusions With the decrease of CPP, cerebral oxygen metabolism showed a regular change during brain death. DPCO2 combined with DPCO2/AJDO2 is a reliable blood gas analysis index indicating intracranial hypoperfusion, which has certain reference value for the determination of brain death.