Anesthesiology
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Regional Blood Acidification Enhances Extracorporeal Carbon Dioxide Removal: A 48-hour Animal Study.
Extracorporeal carbon dioxide removal has been proposed to achieve protective ventilation in patients at risk for ventilator-induced lung injury. In an acute study, the authors previously described an extracorporeal carbon dioxide removal technique enhanced by regional extracorporeal blood acidification. The current study evaluates efficacy and feasibility of such technology applied for 48 h. ⋯ Infusion of lactic acid at the membrane lung inlet consistently increased VCO2ML providing a safe removal of carbon dioxide from only 250 ml/min extracorporeal blood flow in amounts equivalent to 50% production of an adult man.
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In animal models, exposure to general anesthetics induces widespread increases in neuronal apoptosis in the developing brain. Subsequently, abnormalities in brain functioning are found in adulthood, long after the anesthetic exposure. These abnormalities include not only reduced learning abilities but also impaired social behaviors, suggesting pervasive deficits in brain functioning. But the underlying features of these deficits are still largely unknown. ⋯ In an animal model, sevoflurane exposure in the developing brain caused serious impairment of maternal behaviors when fostering their pups, suggesting pervasive impairment of brain functions including innate behavior essential to species survival.