Arteriovenous perfusion with the pulmonary assist membrane oxygenator

The feasibility of employing a recently developed pulmonary assist membrane oxygenator for partial respiratory support in arteriovenous perfusion was studied using small mongrel dogs rendered hypoxic by oxygen depression. The unit is employed along with the conventional ventilation techniques (such as CPAP and PEEP) when the latter alone cannot maintain adequate gas exchange in the lung. The results indicate that poorly oxygenated arterial blood can be upgraded to life-sustaining levels when the bypass flow rate through the oxygenator is in the range of 18-33% of the total cardiac output. No cardiovascular derangements were noted at these arteriovenous flow rates for perfusion periods of four to six hours. The present results demonstrate the feasibility of providing partial support to pulmonary function using the pulmonary assist membrane oxygenator.