PARTIAL LIQUID VENTILATION WITH PERFLUOROCARBON IN THE TREATMENT OF RATS WITH LETHAL PNEUMOCOCCAL PNEUMONIA

Background: Partial liquid ventilation with perfluorocarbon is a new t herapeutic strategy to treat various lung disorders. The current study was undertaken to determine the efficacy of partial liquid ventilatio n with a perfluorocarbon (FC-77) in the treatment of pneumococcal pneu monia in rats. Methods: Male Wistar rats (weight, 275-300 g; n, 75) we re infected ain direct intratracheal inoculation with ca 10(9) colony- forming units of viable Streptococcus pneumoniae, serotype 3, and 24 h after infection were placed into one of five groups, each containing 15 rats. The groups were (1) no treatment, (2) one intramuscular injec tion of penicillin G benzathine (200,000 U), (3) partial liquid ventil ation with FC-77, (4) partial liquid ventilation with FC-77 and a sing le intramuscular dose of penicillin G benzathine (200,000 U), and (5) gas ventilation. Animals were observed every 24 h for survival. Result s: All untreated or gas-ventilated animals or animals that received on ly partial liquid ventilation were dead by 7 days, Those receiving onl y partial liquid ventilation survived longer than untreated controls, but ultimately all succumbed by day 7. Survival was 40% for penicillin -treated rats compared with controls (P < 0.05) and 80% for animals tr eated with both partial liquid ventilation and penicillin versus antib iotic alone (P < 0.05). Conclusions: These observations suggest that p artial liquid ventilation with perfluorocarbon in combination with ant ibiotic administration may be an effective therapeutic modality in pne umoniae pneumonia.