The American review of respiratory disease
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Am. Rev. Respir. Dis. · Sep 1993
Comparative StudyComparison of ventilatory support with intratracheal perfluorocarbon administration and conventional mechanical ventilation in animals with acute respiratory failure.
We investigated the efficacy of intratracheal perfluorocarbon (PFC) administration combined with mechanical ventilation to support gas exchange in adult animals with acute respiratory failure. These were compared with a similar group of animals treated with continuous positive-pressure ventilation (CPPV) with respect to respiratory parameters and postmortem lung histology. After lung lavage with saline, 18 adult rabbits were divided into three groups (n = 6 per group). ⋯ Only in the PFC group were significant decreases in airway pressures and increase in respiratory system compliance seen. In the CPPV group, PaO2 stayed around 60 mm Hg and PaCO2 gradually increased. PFC treatment with conventional mechanical ventilation in acute respiratory failure proved to be a successful supportive technique to improve gas exchange at low inflation pressures.