Expansion of gas bubbles by nitrous oxide and xenon.
BACKGROUND
Nitrous oxide is well known to expand gas bubbles trapped in enclosed spaces and is contraindicated in situations where this may occur. Xenon, an anesthetic gas with similar physical properties to nitrous oxide, is also likely to expand gas bubbles, and it has been predicted that microbubbles in the circulation may expand dramatically when exposed to xenon. Because of the possibility that xenon will be used during cardiopulmonary bypass surgery, a procedure that is likely to introduce microbubbles into the circulation, the authors reinvestigated the extent to which xenon expands gas bubbles in aqueous solution.


METHODS
Gas bubbles of either air or oxygen were formed in an aqueous solution, and their size was monitored using optical microscopy when they were exposed to a rapidly flowing solution of xenon, nitrous oxide, or a xenon-oxygen mixture.


RESULTS
Both nitrous oxide and xenon rapidly expanded air bubbles, although nitrous oxide caused a much larger expansion. The observed expansion was not greatly dependent on the initial size of the bubble but was significantly greater at lower temperatures. Under conditions relevant to cardiopulmonary bypass surgery (50% xenon-50% oxygen, 30 degrees C), the increase in diameter was modest (9.7 +/- 0.8%).


CONCLUSIONS
Although xenon does expand small air and oxygen bubbles, the extent to which this occurs under clinically relevant conditions of concentration and temperature is modest.
Benavides
Rodrigo
R
Biophysics Section, The Blackett Laboratory, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, UK.
Maze
Mervyn
M
Franks
Nicholas P
NP
D018685:Anesthetics, Inhalation / Q000737:chemistry*; D005740:Gases / Q000737:chemistry; D007700:Kinetics; D009609:Nitrous Oxide / Q000737:chemistry*; D012996:Solutions; D013696:Temperature; D014978:Xenon / Q000737:chemistry*
D018685:Anesthetics, Inhalation; D005740:Gases; D012996:Solutions; D014978:Xenon; D009609:Nitrous Oxide