Acute isovolemic anemia impairs central processing as determined by P300 latency

• Published in: Clinical neurophysiology 2005-05, Vol.116 (5), p.1028-1032
• Main Authors: Weiskopf, Richard B., Toy, Pearl, Hopf, Harriet W., Feiner, John, Finlay, Heather E., Takahashi, Michelle, Bostrom, Alan, Songster, Christopher, Aminoff, Michael J.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Acute anemia; Adult; Anemia - physiopathology; Anemia - therapy; Biological and medical sciences; Brain - physiopathology; Cognition - physiology; Critical hemoglobin concentration; Erythrocyte Transfusion; Event-Related Potentials, P300; Hemodilution; Hemodilution - adverse effects; Hemoglobins - analysis; Humans; Medical sciences; Neurology; Oxygen - blood; Oxygen Inhalation Therapy; P300; Transfusion; Vascular diseases and vascular malformations of the nervous system
• ISSN: 1388-2457; 1872-8952
• DOI: 10.1016/j.clinph.2004.12.009

Acute anemia slows the responses to clinical tests of cognitive function. We tested the hypothesis that these slowed responses during acute severe isovolemic anemia in healthy unmedicated humans result from impaired central processing. A blinded operator measured the latency of the P300 peak in nine healthy volunteers at each volunteer's baseline hemoglobin concentration (Hb), and again after isovolemic hemodilution to Hb 5 g/dL. At both Hb concentrations, the P300 latency was measured twice: with the blinded subject breathing air or 100% oxygen, administered in random order. Anemia increased P300 latency significantly from baseline values ( P5–6 g/dL. As a temporizing measure, administration of oxygen can reverse the cognitive deficits and impaired central processing associated with acute anemia.