EFFICACY OF PERFLUOROCARBON PARTIAL LIQUID VENTILATION IN A LARGE ANIMAL-MODEL OF ACUTE RESPIRATORY-FAILURE

Objective: To demonstrate the efficacy of partial perfluorocarbon liqu id ventilation in a large animal model of acute respiratory failure. D esign: Prospective, randomized, controlled trial. Setting: Animal labo ratory at a university medical center. Subjects: Ten adult sheep, weig hing 53.0 +/- 2.8 kg. Interventions: After assessment of baseline phys iologic data, acute respiratory failure was induced by right atrial in jection of oleic acid (0.2 mL/kg). Five animals (partial liquid ventil ation group) underwent sequential intratracheal dosing of 10 mL/kg of perflubron at 30-min intervals to the following cumulative doses: 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50 mL/kg. The remaining five animals were gas ventilat ed (control group). Physiologic data were assessed at 30-min intervals in both groups for the 2.5-hr experimental period or until death. Mea surements and Main Results: When compared with control animals, intrat racheal perfluorocarbon instillation resulted in significant improveme nts in arterial oxygen saturation (arterial oxygen saturation after 50 mL/kg: partial liquid ventilation, 96 +/- 3%; control, 55 +/- 8%; p = .001)and physiologic shunt (physiologic shunt after 50 mL/kg dose: pa rtial liquid ventilation, 22 +/- 8%; control, 64 +/- 5%; p = .004). Ox ygen delivery improved with perfluorocarbon instillation, but this imp rovement was not significant. No significant difference in pulmonary c ompliance was observed during partial liquid ventilation when compared with controls (pulmonary compliance: partial liquid ventilation, 0.43 +/- 0.04 mL/cm H2O/kg; control, 0.53 +/- 0.03 mL/cm H2O/kg; p = .102) . Conclusions: Partial liquid ventilation with perflubron provides eff ective improvement in gas exchange in an adult animal model of respira tory failure.