Effects of single and multiple doses of perfluorocarbon in comparison with continuous partial liquid ventilation on gas exchange and lung pathology in newborn surfactant-depleted pigs.

Objective: To compare the efficacy of single, multiple, and continuous application of perfluorocarbon (PFC) FC-77 on gas exchange and lung pathology in a prolonged 24-hr study.

Design: Controlled animal trial.

Setting: Research laboratory in a university setting.

Subjects: Twenty-one newborn piglets (mean weight 1.94 kg).

Interventions: After intubation and instrumentation, the anesthetized animals were randomized in three groups: a) animals receiving one 1-hr session of partial liquid ventilation (PLV) followed by 23 hrs of conventional ventilation (CV), designated as the single PLV (S-PLV) group; b) animals receiving multiple 1-hr sessions of PLV with intermittent CV, designated as the multiple PLV (M-PLV) group; and c) animals receiving continuous PLV over 24 hrs, designated as the continuous PLV (C-PLV) group. After lung injury was induced with repeated saline lavage, specific ventilatory treatment was initiated. The oxygenation index, Pao2/Fio2 ratio, and ventilatory efficacy index were determined before and after lung injury and during the 24-hr course. After 24 hrs, the lungs were removed for histopathologic examination.

Measurements And Main Results: Gas exchange variables improved within 60 mins in all groups after the initiation of the specific ventilatory treatment (p < .01). The best outcome was observed in the C-PLV group, which provided a continuously stable gas exchange over the 24-hr period. S-PLV initially improved gas exchange, but after 6 hrs all variables were impaired when compared with C-PLV (p < .01). M-PLV transiently improved gas exchange variables after each PFC application; however, M-PLV was associated with a significant deterioration of all pulmonary variables during the 24-hr course. The lungs of the animals in the M-PLV group demonstrated an increased lung injury score (p < .01) and increased morphometric values (p < .05) when compared with C-PLV.

Conclusions: In surfactant deficient lungs, single and multiple applications of PFC only transiently improved oxygenation. Multiple PFC fillings with intermittent gas ventilation led to a deterioration of gas exchange during the 24-hr study and severe lung damage. Continuous PLV provides the best gas exchange and the most favorable histopathologic outcome.