Induced hypertension as an approach to treating acute cerebrovascular ischaemia: possibilities and limitations.

As, after an stroke, the autoregulation of the cerebral vessels in the ischaemic region is disturbed to a high degree, it is, on principle, possible to improve the blood flow particularly in the zone surrounding the infarct (penumbra) by raising the systemic blood pressure. During a basic treatment with low-molecular dextrans (infukoll M40), 37 patients with an acute ischaemic cerebral stroke multiply underwent elevations in blood pressure up to systolic values of about 210 to 220 mmHg. A comparison with a control group (n = 44) who were treated with low-molecular dextrans revealed no differences in lethality on the 21st day after the stroke. However, a very good acute effect in terms of a short-term improvement was remarkable a result that is noteworthy also in future.