The study describes a reproducible model of complete brain ischemia in rats. Rats with different plasma glucose concentrations were exposed to 10 min of complete cerebral ischemia achieved by compression of neck vessels by a pneumatic cuff. All 30 rats, except one, in which pre-ischemic plasma glucose level were lower than 22 mM (range 1.6-22) survived 10 min complete ischemia and made a similar recovery. Ten rats with pre-ischemic plasma glucose levels above 22 mM (range 22-47.2) died from seizures in the post-ischemic period. Post-ischemic treatment of seizures and hyperglycemia in the hyperglycemic rats significantly improved recovery. In conclusion, pre-ischemic hyperglycemia above 22 mM impairs recovery after complete ischemia by inducing seizures, post-ischemic hyperglycemia and lactic acidosis.