Furosemide in the intraoperative reduction of intracranial pressure in the patient with subarachnoid hemorrhage

The effect of furosemide in the intraoperative reduction of intracranial pressure was measured in 25 patients undergoing the operative repair of a ruptured intracranial aneurysm. Seven patients with similar intracranial lesions served as controls. A single bolus of 80 mg of furosemide was administered intravenously after the induction of anesthesia, and sequential measurements were made of intracranial pressure, mean arterial pressure, and arterial blood gases. A mean decrease of intracranial pressure of 56% was measured in the furosemide-treated patients, whereas the control patients demonstrated a mean decline of subarachnoid pressures of 18%. These changes are significant at the P<0.005 confidence level, whereas changes in mean arterial pressure, mean arterial pCO₂, and base line arterial pCO₂ were statistically insignificant. This study suggests that intravenous furosemide is a quick, dependable, and effective mechanism for the intraoperative reduction of intracranial pressure in the postsubarachnoid hemorrhage aneurysm patient.