ABSTRACT
Although the brain accounts for only 2% of the body’s mass, it utilizes 25% of the body’s energy and stores and receives 15% to 20% of the total cardiac output. Given these high demands, it makes intuitive sense that even brief periods of anoxia have dire consequences. Cerebral ischemia can be considered either a focal or global process. Focal ischemia is classically exemplifi ed by the syndrome of acute ischemic stroke, whereas global ischemia is most often the consequence of cardiopulmonary arrest (usually due to a malignant cardiac dysrhythmia). The consequences of focal and global ischemia can be profound, ranging from partial to complete disability or death.
