Red blood cells are essential for late vasospasm following experimentally induced subarachnoid hemorrhage in dogs.

The in vivo spasmogenic activity of various blood components was examined in dogs. Each blood fraction was injected into the cisterna magna at 0.5 or 1.0 ml/kg body weight, after the removal of 0.5 ml/kg body weight of cerebrospinal fluid, and vertebral angiography was then performed. Whole blood induced both early and late arterial spasm. Platelet-rich and platelet-poor plasma produced only early spasm, and no arterial narrowing was observed on days 1, 3, and 7 after injection. On the contrary, intracisternal injection of washed red blood cells (0.5 ml/kg body weight) produced no arterial narrowing for 6 hours after injection and induced moderate arterial narrowing on days 1, 3, and 7 after injection. Hemolysate (a 10-gm/dl concentration of hemoglobin) produced prolonged monophasic arterial narrowing after injection. These results imply that red blood cells are required for late, prolonged arterial narrowing after experimental subarachnoid hemorrhage.