Partial liquid ventilation with perfluorocarbon in the treatment of rats with lethal pneumococcal pneumonia.
BACKGROUND
Partial liquid ventilation with perfluorocarbon is a new therapeutic strategy to treat various lung disorders. The current study was undertaken to determine the efficacy of partial liquid ventilation with a perfluorocarbon (FC-77) in the treatment of pneumococcal pneumonia in rats.


METHODS
Male Wistar rats (weight, 275-300 g; n, 75) were infected via 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 injection of penicillin G benzathine (200,000 U), (3) partial liquid ventilation with FC-77, (4) partial liquid ventilation with FC-77 and a single intramuscular dose of penicillin G benzathine (200,000 U), and (5) gas ventilation. Animals were observed every 24 h for survival.


RESULTS
All untreated or gas-ventilated animals or animals that received only partial liquid ventilation were dead by 7 days. Those receiving only 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 treated with both partial liquid ventilation and penicillin versus antibiotic alone (P < 0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
These observations suggest that partial liquid ventilation with perfluorocarbon in combination with antibiotic administration may be an effective therapeutic modality in pneumococcal pneumonia.
Dickson
E W
EW
Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical Center, Worcester 01655, USA. Qkona@aol.com
Heard
S O
SO
Chu
B
B
Fraire
A
A
Brueggemann
A B
AB
Doern
G V
GV
D000818:Animals; D005466:Fluorocarbons / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008297:Male; D010400:Penicillin G / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011018:Pneumonia, Pneumococcal / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012121:Respiration, Artificial
D005466:Fluorocarbons; D010400:Penicillin G