Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med.,
Volume 161, Number 1, January 2000, 44-49
Alveolar Permeability and Liquid Absorption during
Partial Liquid Ventilation of Rats with Perflubron
JEAN-DAMIEN
RICARD,
LAURENT
MARTIN-LEFÈVRE,
DIDIER
DREYFUSS,
and
GEORGES
SAUMON
INSERM U82, Faculté Xavier Bichat, Paris, France
We examined the effect of instilled perflubron (LiquiVent) on the transport properties of alveolar epithelium in anesthetized rats. Krebs-Ringer bicarbonate (1 to 4 ml) containing 125I-albumin, [3H]mannitol and [14C]sucrose was instilled into airspaces either alone (n = 29), or with 1 (n = 21) or 2 (n = 12) ml perflubron and sampled 30 min later. Absorption was deduced from the changes in 125I-albumin activity per unit volume in the airspace instillate, and changes in [3H]mannitol and [14C]sucrose
activity per unit volume were used to evaluate the passive permeability of the alveolar-airway barrier.
The rate of Ringer absorption depended on the volume instilled [0.38 (ml/h)/ml Ringer]. Perflubron
(1 or 2 ml) increased Ringer absorption by 0.26 (p < 0.001) and 0.19 ml/h (p < 0.05), respectively.
However, 2 ml perflubron increased absorption less than did the same additional volume of Ringer
(p < 0.001). The passive permeability of the alveolar-airway barrier increased exponentially with instilled Ringer volume. Sucrose/mannitol size selectivity was lost when Ringer volume was > 2 ml and
albumin leaked from airspaces when it was 4 ml. Instillation of 2 ml perflubron prevented this increase in permeability, but 1 ml did not. No albumin leaked with perflubron even when the total volume of liquid in airspaces (Ringer + perflubron) was > 4 ml. These results suggest that perflubron
can be beneficial in pulmonary edema by redistributing the alveolar liquid over a larger surface area,
thus accelerating resorption. In addition, larger doses of perflubron may better preserve epithelial
permeability during alveolar flooding. Ricard J-D, Martin-Lefèvre L, Dreyfuss D, Saumon G. Alveolar permeability and liquid absorption during partial liquid ventilation of rats with perflubron.
