Hydrogen Inhalation Outperforms Cooling for Heart Attack Recovery in Rats
- Authors
- Gang Chen, Bihua Chen, Chenxi Dai, Jianjie Wang, Juan Wang, Yuanyuan Huang, Yongqin Li
- Journal
- Shock
- Year
- 2017
- DOI
- 10.1097/SHK.0000000000001092
- Study Type
- Rat
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- China
- Health Condition
- Cardiac Arrest
- Body System
- Cardiovascular
TL;DR
Breathing in hydrogen gas significantly improved brain recovery and survival rates in rats with high blood pressure after they were resuscitated from a simulated cardiac arrest.
Key Finding
Rats that inhaled hydrogen gas had survival rates of 80-90% after cardiac arrest, compared to just 30% in control and cooling-only groups, with significantly less brain and heart damage.
Summary
This study tested whether breathing hydrogen gas could help rats recover after cardiac arrest (when the heart stops beating). Researchers compared four treatments: normal oxygen breathing, cooling the body, breathing hydrogen gas, and breathing hydrogen gas while cooled. Rats that breathed hydrogen gas had much better survival rates (80-90%) and less brain and heart damage compared to rats that only received standard oxygen or cooling alone.
Practical Takeaway
While these results in rats are encouraging, this is early-stage animal research and does not yet demonstrate that hydrogen inhalation would work the same way in humans after cardiac arrest. Human clinical trials would be needed before hydrogen could be considered a viable treatment for this condition.
Abstract
Background: Postcardiac arrest syndrome is the consequence of whole-body ischemia-reperfusion events that lead to multiple organ failure and eventually to death. Recent animal studies demonstrated that inhalation of hydrogen greatly mitigates postresuscitation myocardial dysfunction and brain injury. However, the influence of underlying heart disease on the efficacy of hydrogen is still unknown. In the present study, we investigated the effects of hydrogen inhalation on neurological outcome and survival in a cardiac arrest model of spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR). Methods: Cardiopulmonary resuscitation was initiated after 4 min of untreated ventricular fibrillation in 40 SHRs. Immediately after successful resuscitation, animals were randomized to be ventilated with 98% oxygen and 2% nitrogen under normothermia (Ctrl), 2% nitrogen under hypothermia (TH), 2% hydrogen under normothermia (H2), or 2% hydrogen under hypothermia (H2+TH) for 2 h. Hypothermia was maintained at 33°C for 2 h. Animals were observed up to 96 h for assessment of survival and neurologic recovery. Results: No statistical differences in baseline measurements were observed among groups and all the animals were successfully resuscitated. Compared with Ctrl, serum cardiac troponin T measured at 5 h and myocardial damage score measured at 96 h after resuscitation were markedly reduced in H2, TH, and H2+TH groups. Compared with Ctrl and TH, astroglial protein S100 beta measured during the earlier postresuscitation period, and neurological deficit score and neuronal damage score measured at 96 h were considerably lower in both H2 and H2+TH groups. Ninety-six hours survival rates were significantly higher in the H2 (80.0%) and H2+TH (90.0%) groups than TH (30.0%) and to Ctrl (30.0%). Conclusions: Hydrogen inhaling was superior to mild hypothermia for improving neurological outcome and survival in cardiac arrest and resuscitation model of systemic hypertension rats.