title: The emulsified perfluorocarbon Oxycyte improves spinal cord injury in a swine model of decompression sickness.
abstract: METHODS
  A prospective, animal model for pharmacological intervention of decompression sickness (DCS), including spinal cord (SC) injury.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  Signs and symptoms of DCS can include joint pain, skin discoloration, cardiopulmonary congestion and SC injury; severity ranges from trivial to fatal. Non-recompressive therapy for DCS may improve time-to-treatment and therefore impact mortality and morbidity.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  Oxycyte at 5 cc kg(-1) provides both SC protection and statistically significant survival benefit in a swine model of DCS. The purpose of this study was to test whether a reduced dose of Oxycyte (3 cc kg(-1)) would provide similar benefit.
  
  
  METHODS
  Silver Spring, MD, USA METHODS: Male Yorkshire swine (N=50) underwent a non-linear compression profile to 200 fsw (feet of sea water), which was identical to previous work using the 5 cc kg(-1) dose of Oxycyte. After 31 min of bottom time, decompression was initiated at 30 fsw per minute until surface pressure was reached. Following decompression and the onset of DCS, intravenous Oxycyte or saline was administered with concurrent 100% O(2) for 1 h. The primary end point was DCS-induced mortality, with Tarlov score and SC histopathology as secondary end points.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Oxycyte administration of 3 cc kg(-1) following surfacing produced no significant detectable survival benefit. Animals that received Oxycyte, however, had reduced SC lesion area.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Further studies to determine the lowest fully efficacious dose of Oxycyte for the adjunct treatment of DCS are warranted.
authors.affiliation: Undersea Medicine Department, Naval Medical Research Center, Silver Spring, MD 20910-7500, USA. Richard.Mahon@med.navy.mil
authors.forename: R T
authors.initials: RT
authors.lastname: Mahon
authors.forename: C R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Auker
authors.forename: S G
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Bradley
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mendelson
authors.forename: A A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Hall
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003665:Decompression Sickness / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004655:Emulsions; D005466:Fluorocarbons / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology*; D013552:Swine
chemical_list: D004655:Emulsions; D005466:Fluorocarbons