Objective To evaluate the therapeutic effects of different intracranial pressure lowering regimens in patients with acute large-area cerebral infarction based on electrical impedance tomography (EIT) technology.

Methods A total of 75 patients with acute large-area cerebral infarction were selected as the study subjects and randomly divided into study group (n=40, using mannitol combined with albumin to decrease intracranial pressure) and control group (n=35, using mannitol alone to decrease intracranial pressure). EIT technology was used to continuously monitor the changes in intracranial pressure within 48 hours in the patients. Clinical data of the two groups were collected, and the 24-hour intracranial pressure change rate, 48-hour intracranial pressure change rate, ICU stay duration, hospitalization duration, antibiotic use duration, and National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score at discharge were observed and compared between the two groups. A 90-day survival follow-up was also conducted.

Results There was no statistically significant difference in the 24-hour intracranial pressure change rate between the two groups (P>0.05). The 48-hour intracranial pressure change rate in the study group was higher than that in the control group, and the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05). The ICU stay duration, hospitalization duration, and antibiotic use duration in the study group were all shorter than those in the control group, and the NIHSS score at discharge in the study group was lower than that in the control group, with statistically significant differences (P < 0.05). The follow-up results showed that the survival duration in the study group was longer than that in the control group, and the 90-day cumulative survival rate in the study group was higher than that in the control group, but the differences were not statistically significant (P>0.05). The modified Rankin Scale score in the study group was lower than that in the control group, and the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05).

Conclusion Compared with the use of mannitol alone, early use of mannitol combined with albumin can effectively decrease the intracranial pressure within 48 hours, shorten the hospitalization duration, and improve neurological function in patients with acute large-area cerebral infarction.