Cerebral Blood Flow and Metabolism Studies Comparing Krypton 85 Desaturation Technique With Argon Desaturation Technique Using the Mass Spectrometer

Average cerebral blood flow determinations were performed 26 times comparing argon desaturation curves measured by mass spectrometry to the krypton 85 desaturation technique of McHenry.(1) During 17 of these studies krypton 85 and argon desaturations were performed simultaneously. Mean cerebral blood flow difference was 7.2 +/- 5.7% for simultaneous determinations and 7.9 +/- 6.6% for the total, establishing that the two techniques are comparable. Some of the advantages of using argon in mass spectrometry include: no blood needs to be withdrawn, curves can be observed at the lime they are obtained, radiation precautions are not required, multiple studies do not affect the patient, and partial pressures of oxygen and carbon dioxide can be observed constantly.