How does phenobarbital decrease ICP?

Barbiturates are believed to reduce ICP by suppressing cerebral metabolism, thus reducing cerebral metabolic demands and cerebral blood volume. However, barbiturates also reduce blood pressure and may, therefore, adversely effect cerebral perfusion pressure.

Does hyperventilation increase ICP?

Hyperventilation leads to cerebral vasoconstriction-related reduction of the CBV, one of the components of the intracranial contents; thereby, it decreases ICP and relaxes the brain.

How does barbiturates affect your driving?

Laboratory studies have found barbiturates at moderate doses to degrade driving skills. Motor skills performance, perceptual and tracking task performance and vehicle-handling test performance are impaired under barbiturates.

What do barbiturates do for ICP?

What is a normal ICP value?

For the purpose of this article, normal adult ICP is defined as 5 to 15 mm Hg (7.5–20 cm H2O). ICP values of 20 to 30 mm Hg represent mild intracranial hypertension; however, when a temporal mass lesion is present, herniation can occur with ICP values less than 20 mm Hg [5].

What is hyperventilating a symptom of?

Hyperventilation is rapid or deep breathing, usually caused by anxiety or panic. This overbreathing, as it is sometimes called, may actually leave you feeling breathless. When you breathe, you inhale oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide.

How do barbiturates affect behavior?

Barbiturates have several effects on behavior depending on the dose: In low doses: barbiturates reduce anxiety; reduce respiration, reduce blood pressure, reduce heart rate and reduce rapid eye movement (REM)sleep. In higher doses: barbiturates can actually increase some types of behavior and act like a stimulant.

How do I lower my ICP?

Effective treatments to reduce pressure include draining the fluid through a shunt via a small hole in the skull or through the spinal cord. The medications mannitol and hypertonic saline can also lower pressure.