Effects of perfluorocarbon infusion in an anesthetized swine decompression model.

Introduction: Decompression illness (DCI) results from sudden changes in ambient pressure leading to super-saturation and bubble formation in tissues and the blood stream. Perfluorocarbon emulsions (PFC) increase both oxygen and nitrogen solubility when infused into the blood stream. This study hypothesized that PFC would increase N(2) removal as well as O(2) delivery to tissues.