Hemodynamic effects of partial liquid ventilation with perfluorocarbon in acute lung injury

Abstract

Objective: To assess the effect of partial liquid ventilation with perfluorocarbons on hemodynamics and gas exchange in large pigs with induced acute lung injury (ALI). Design: Randomized, prospective, double-control, experimental study. Setting: Experimental intensive care unit of a university. Materials: Eighteen large pigs (50±5 kg body weight) with an average anterior posterior thoracic diameter of 24 cm and induced acute lung injury. Interventions: All animals were surfactant depleted by lung lavage to a PaO2 below 100 mmHg and randomized to receive either perflubron (n=6) or saline (n=6) in five intratracheal doses of 5 ml/kg at 20-min intervals, or no instillation (n=6). Measurements and results: In all animals heart rate, arterial pressures, pulmonary pressures, cardiac output and blood gases were recorded at 20-min intervals. There was no deleterious effect on any hemodynamic parameter in the perflubron group, whereas systolic and mean pulmonary arterial pressure values showed a persistent decrease after the first 5 ml/kg of perflubron, from 48.7±14.1 to 40.8±11.7 mmHg and from 39.7±13.2 to 35.2±12.0 mmHg, respectively. Perflubron resulted in a significant (ANOVA P<0.01), dose-dependent increase in PaO2 values from 86.3±22.4 to a maximum of 342.4±59.4 mmHg at a dose of 25 ml/kg; the other groups showed no significant increase in PaO2. Conclusions: Tracheal instillation of perflubron in induced ALI results in a dose-dependent increase in PaO2 and has no deleterious effect on hemodynamic parameters. © 1995 Springer-Verlag.