Systemically injected oxygen within rapidly dissolving microbubbles improves the outcomes of severe hypoxaemia in swine.

Acute respiratory failure can cause profound hypoxaemia that leads to organ injury or death within minutes. When conventional interventions are ineffective, the intravenous administration of oxygen can rescue patients from severe hypoxaemia, but at the risk of microvascular obstruction and of toxicity of the carrier material. Here we describe polymeric microbubbles as carriers of high volumes of oxygen (350-500 ml of oxygen per litre of foam) that are stable in storage yet quickly dissolve following intravenous injection, reverting to their soluble and excretable molecular constituents.

Safety of Prolonged Inhalation of Hydrogen Gas in Air in Healthy Adults.

Unlabelled: Ischemia-reperfusion injury is common in critically ill patients, and directed therapies are lacking. Inhaled hydrogen gas diminishes ischemia-reperfusion injury in models of shock, stroke, and cardiac arrest. The purpose of this study was to investigate the safety of inhaled hydrogen gas at doses required for a clinical efficacy study.

Safety of inhaled hydrogen gas in healthy mice.

The purpose of this work was to determine the safety of inhaled hydrogen gas in healthy animals. Female mice were exposed to medical air with or without hydrogen gas (concentration 2.4%) for 72 hours (n = 25 mice/group).

Perioperatively Inhaled Hydrogen Gas Diminishes Neurologic Injury Following Experimental Circulatory Arrest in Swine.

This study used a swine model of mildly hypothermic prolonged circulatory arrest and found that the addition of 2.4% inhaled hydrogen gas to inspiratory gases during and after the ischemic insult significantly decreased neurologic and renal injury compared with controls. With proper precautions, inhalational hydrogen may be administered safely through conventional ventilators and may represent a complementary therapy that can be easily incorporated into current workflows.

A Device for the Quantification of Oxygen Consumption and Caloric Expenditure in the Neonatal Range.

Background: The accurate measurement of oxygen consumption (VO2) and energy expenditure (EE) may be helpful to optimize the treatment of critically ill patients. However, current techniques are limited in their ability to accurately quantify these end points in infants due to a low VO2, low tidal volume, and rapid respiratory rate. This study describes and validates a new device intended to perform in this size range.

Interfacial Nanoprecipitation toward Stable and Responsive Microbubbles and Their Use as a Resuscitative Fluid.

A new approach has been developed to prepare stable microbubbles (MBs) by interfacial nanoprecipitation of bioabsorbable polymers at air/liquid interfaces. This facile method offers robust control over the morphology and chemophysical properties of MBs by simple chemical modifications. This approach is amenable to large-scale manufacturing, and is useful to develop functional MBs for advanced biomedical applications.

Hemodynamic Effects of Lipid-Based Oxygen Microbubbles via Rapid Intravenous Injection in Rodents.

Purpose: Low oxygen levels, or hypoxemia, is a common cause of morbidity and mortality in critically ill patients. Hypoxemia is typically addressed by increasing the fraction of inspired oxygen, the use of mechanical ventilation, or more invasive measures. Recently, the injection of oxygen gas directly into the bloodstream by packaging it within lipid-based oxygen microbubbles (LOMs) has been explored.

Oxygen delivery using engineered microparticles.

A continuous supply of oxygen to tissues is vital to life and interruptions in its delivery are poorly tolerated. The treatment of low-blood oxygen tensions requires restoration of functional airways and lungs. Unfortunately, severe oxygen deprivation carries a high mortality rate and can make otherwise-survivable illnesses unsurvivable.