Transintestinal systemic oxygenation using perfluorocarbon.
OBJECTIVE
Perfluorocarbons have an excellent oxygen- and carbon dioxide-carrying capacity. This prompted us to investigate the feasibility of transintestinal systemic oxygenation using perfluorocarbon.


METHODS
A rat hypoventilation model (room air, 20 breaths/min and a tidal volume of 10 ml/kg) was thus established, and FC-77 (Sumitomo-3M, Osaka, Japan) was used as a perfusate. Oxygenated FC-77 was perfused through the small intestine for 4 h. The rats were allocated into three groups as follows. Group 1 (n = 6): hypoventilation only; Group 2 (n = 6): saline was perfused instead of FC-77; Group 3 (n = 6): FC-77 was perfused. Arterial blood samples were drawn from the common iliac artery every 30 min until the end of perfusion. A standard blood gas analysis was performed.


RESULTS
The PaO2 level in Group 3 was significantly higher than in Groups 1 or 2 (P = 0.006: at the end of perfusion, Group 1 = 58.6 +/- 14.5 mmHg, Group 2 = 65.2 +/- 29.4 mmHg, Group 3 = 84.0 +/- 35.5 mmHg). The PaCO2 level in Group 3 was significantly lower than that in Groups 1 or 2 (P = 0.014: at the end of perfusion, Group 1 = 56.8 +/- 8.5 mmHg, Group 2 = 52.6 +/- 5.7 mmHg, Group 3 = 44.4 +/- 11.1 mmHg).


CONCLUSIONS
Our findings indicate that transintestinal systemic oxygenation is indeed possible and could therefore become a useful new modality for respiratory assist.
Department of Cancer and Thoracic Surgery, Okayama University Medical School, 2-5-1 Shikata-cho, Okayama, 700-8558, Japan.
Naoyuki
N
Miyaguchi
Itaru
I
Nagahiro
Kazutoshi
K
Kotani
Hidehiro
H
Nakanishi
Hideaki
H
Mori
Tomohiko
T
Osaragi
Nobuyoshi
N
Shimizu
D000818:Animals; D005466:Fluorocarbons; D007421:Intestine, Small; D021061:Liquid Ventilation / Q000379:methods*; D010100:Oxygen / Q000097:blood; D010313:Partial Pressure; D010477:Perfusion; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar
D005466:Fluorocarbons; C429307:fluorocarbon 77; D010100:Oxygen