Effects of partial liquid ventilation on regional pulmonary blood flow distribution of isolated rabbit lungs.
OBJECTIVE
Partial liquid ventilation with perfluorocarbons may increase alveolar hydrostatic transmural pressure and may result in a redistribution of pulmonary blood flow from dependent to nondependent lung regions. To test this hypothesis under controlled study conditions, we determined intrapulmonary blood flow distributions during gas and perfluorocarbon ventilation in isolated rabbit lungs.


METHODS
Controlled animal study with an ex vivo isolated lung preparation.


METHODS
Research laboratory for Experimental Anesthesiology at the Heinrich-Heine-University of Düsseldorf.


METHODS
New Zealand White rabbits.


METHODS
The lungs were perfused with autologous blood at constant flow (150 mL/min) and ventilated with 5% C(O2) in air (positive end-expiratory pressure, 2 cm H2O; tidal volume, 10 mL/kg body weight; respiratory rate, 30 breaths/ min) without and with perfluorocarbon administered intratracheally (15 mL/kg).


RESULTS
Regional lung perfusion was measured with colored microspheres in apical, central, peripheral, and basal samples before and after bronchial instillation of perfluorocarbons. Compared with gas ventilation, intrapulmonary blood flow during perfluorocarbon ventilation was higher in apical samples (49.4+/-8.6 mL/min/g vs. 38.3+/-6.8 mL/min/g dry weight; p = .03) and lower in basal samples (22.2+/-5.1 mL/min/g vs. 39.9+/-8.2 mL/min/g; p = .04).


CONCLUSIONS
Our findings suggest that during partial liquid ventilation, intrapulmonary blood flow is redistributed toward less-dependent lung regions. (Crit Care Med 2000; 28:1522-1525)
Loer
S A
SA
Department of Anesthesiology, Heinrich-Heine-University of Düsseldorf, Germany.
Schlack
W
W
Ebel
D
D
Tarnow
J
J
D000818:Animals; D001783:Blood Flow Velocity / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D005466:Fluorocarbons; D008168:Lung / Q000098:blood supply*; D008297:Male; D010477:Perfusion; D011817:Rabbits; D012039:Regional Blood Flow / Q000502:physiology; D012121:Respiration, Artificial
D005466:Fluorocarbons