title: Reduction in air bubble size using perfluorocarbons during cardiopulmonary bypass in the rat.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Perfluorocarbon (PFC) emulsions are artificial oxygen-carrying compounds with a high solubility for gases that have experimentally been shown to ameliorate cerebral air embolism. Cerebral air embolism has been associated with adverse cerebral outcomes after cardiac surgery using cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). We designed this study to test whether PFC emulsions could reduce the volume of bubbles within the CPB circuit.
  
  
  METHODS
  Male Sprague-Dawley rats undergoing 60 min of normothermic nonpulsatile CPB were randomized to one of the three groups. The PFC group (n = 10) received 60% O(2)/36% N(2)/4% CO(2) via the membrane oxygenator and 2.7 g/kg (4.5 mL/kg) of PFC into the venous reservoir; the control group (n = 10) received the same gas mixture and 4.5 mL/kg of saline; the N(2)O group (n = 6) was exposed to 36% N(2)O/60% O(2)/4% CO(2) and received 4.5 mL/kg of saline. After 10 min and 35 min of CPB, 400 microL of air was injected into a bubble chamber in the CPB circuit. After 20 min, the bubble was removed for volumetric analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Compared with baseline, the bubble decreased 13% +/- 5% in size in the PFC group and increased 46% +/- 9% in the nitrous oxide group, both of these changes significantly different from the control group (P < 0.0001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results suggest that PFC administration may be useful in reducing the volume of gaseous bubbles present during CPB.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology, Duke University Medical Center, DMUC Box 3094, Durham, NC 27710, USA.
authors.forename: Kenji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yoshitani
authors.forename: Fellery
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: de Lange
authors.forename: Qing
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.forename: Hilary P
authors.initials: HP
authors.lastname: Grocott
authors.forename: G Burkhard
authors.initials: GB
authors.lastname: Mackensen
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002315:Cardiopulmonary Bypass / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004618:Embolism, Air / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000517:prevention & control; D005466:Fluorocarbons / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D009609:Nitrous Oxide / Q000627:therapeutic use; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley
chemical_list: D005466:Fluorocarbons; D009609:Nitrous Oxide