Partial liquid ventilation decreases albumin leak in the setting of acute lung injury.

PURPOSE

This study evaluated the ability of partial liquid ventilation (PLV, gas ventilation of the perfluorocarbon-filled lungs) to reduce the amount of lung albumin leak present in the setting of acute lung injury.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

An experimental controlled, randomized design was used. All studies were performed in the liquid ventilation laboratories at the University of Michigan Medical Center. Twenty-five Sprague-Dawley male rats 500+/-50 g were divided into five experimental groups: (1) CVF only (n=5), animals were cobra venom factor (CVF) lung injured; (2) PLV-CVF (n=5) animals received perflubron and PLV before CVF lung injury; (3) CVF-PLV (n=5) animals received PLV after CVF lung injury; (4) PLV only (n=5) animals underwent partial liquid ventilation without lung injury; and (5) Gas only (n=5) animals underwent gas ventilation without lung injury. In all groups iodinated bovine serum albumin (125I-BSA) was delivered by intravenous injection along with CVF or a saline placebo.

RESULTS

When the CVF animals were compared with all other groups, a decrease in albumin leak was observed for all groups when compared with the CVF only controls (P < .001 by ANOVA; CVF only=1.22+/-0.12 versus PLV-CVF=0.46+/-0.08, P < .001; CVF-PLV=0.70+/-0.25, P < .001; PLV only=0.22+/-0.01, P < .001; Gas only=0.17+/-0.02, P < .001).

CONCLUSIONS

These data suggest that intratracheal instillation of perfluorocarbon before or after induction of lung injury results in a reduction in pulmonary albumin leak.