Real-time visualization of partial liquid ventilation in a model of acute lung injury.
BACKGROUND
To clarify the effects of partial liquid ventilation, we visualized and morphologically analyzed real-time alveolar recruitment in a model of acute lung injury.


METHODS
Male Wistar rats were divided into 3 groups: a group that underwent hydrochloric acid aspiration and mechanical gas ventilation (ALI group, n = 15), a group that underwent acid aspiration and partial liquid ventilation beginning 90 minutes after acid aspiration (PLV group, n = 15), and a group that underwent mechanical ventilation without acid aspiration (control group, n = 5). The number of ventilated alveoli and the diameter of the largest ventilated alveolus in each of 10 high-power fields observed on fluorescence micrographs with a tracer of labeled albumin were determined and averaged from 90 to 210 minutes after acid aspiration.


RESULTS
The number of alveoli in the PLV group significantly increased in comparison to that in the ALI group. The diameter of the largest alveolus in the PLV group decreased from 103.7 +/- 16.3 microm to 76.3 +/- 6.5 microm until the end of the experiment. This diameter was equivalent to that in the control group.


CONCLUSIONS
The excellent alveolar recruitment suggests that liquid ventilation ameliorates ventilator-associated lung injury.
Endo
Shunsuke
S
Department of Thoracic Surgery, Jichi Medical School, Minamikawachi-machi, Kawachi-gun, Tochigi 329-0498, Japan.
Sohara
Yasunori
Y
Murayama
Fumio
F
Yamaguchi
Tsutomu
T
Hasegawa
Tsuyoshi
T
Kanai
Yoshihiko
Y
D000208:Acute Disease; D000418:Albumins / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D000818:Animals; D001794:Blood Pressure; D003199:Computer Systems; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D006339:Heart Rate; D006851:Hydrochloric Acid; D021061:Liquid Ventilation; D008297:Male; D008833:Microcirculation; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D010100:Oxygen / Q000097:blood; D011650:Pulmonary Alveoli / Q000098:blood supply / Q000503:physiopathology*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012121:Respiration, Artificial / Q000009:adverse effects; D012128:Respiratory Distress Syndrome / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000503:physiopathology*
D000418:Albumins; D006851:Hydrochloric Acid; D010100:Oxygen