Statins and Cerebral Blood Flow in Subarachnoid Hemorrhage (SAH)

Effect of Statins on Cerebral Blood Flow After Subarachnoid Hemorrhage

The primary objective of this project is to investigate the effect of statin therapy on cerebral blood flow in patients with aneurysmal SAH who are randomized to receive or not receive statins in a blinded design.

We will determine if statin therapy improves CBF in patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage. This improvement, if present, may be due to improved basal CBF, improved autoregulatory function, or a mitigation of large arterial narrowing. The information gain from this study will help us to better understand the mechanism of action of statins. This knowledge may be useful in the design of future studies with statins and in the development of other therapies aimed at similar mechanisms.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Age > 18
• SAH from ruptured cerebral aneurysm within 48 hours of admission.
• Modified Fisher grade 2,3,or 4
• Planned surgical or endovascular aneurysm repair

Exclusion Criteria:

• Pregnancy
• SAH secondary to traumatic or mycotic aneurysms
• Pre-ictal statin therapy
• Contraindication to stain therapy
• WFNS grade 5
• Contraindications to MAP elevation on day 7-10