Venous gas embolism: time course of residual pulmonary intravascular bubbles

The time course of pulmonary intravascular air emboli was studied in anesthetized dogs. In one series of experiments air was infused into the right atrium at 0.10 ml.kg-1.min-1 or 0.25 ml.kg-1.min-1 for 15 min or given as a bolus injection of 2 ml/kg at 2 ml/sec. In a second series of series of experiments venous air was infused into dogs (0.25 ml.kg-1.min-1, 15 min) ventilated with 100% oxygen for 0, 30, or 210 min before the embolization. After the air infusions the animals were allowed to recover, breathing 70% nitrogen:30% oxygen. At 10-min intervals during recovery, the nitrogen was replaced with nitrous oxide (N2O) for 5 min to expand any residual pulmonary vascular bubbles. Subsequent changes in pulmonary artery pressure (Ppa) and end-tidal carbon dioxide (PETCO2) concentrations, pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) and carbon dioxide tensions (PaCO2) as a result of the N2O challenges indicated the presence of residual gas bubbles in the pulmonary arterial system. Residual times of the pulmonary bubbles were 24.5 +/- 12.3 min (0.10 ml.kg-1.min-1 air dose), 43 +/- 10.8 min (0.25 ml.kg-1.min-1 air dose), and 17.8 +/- 2.5 min (bolus). The latter two were significantly different from each other. With 100% oxygen breathing the residual times were 19 +/- 2.2 (0 min), 22 +/- 6.7 min (30 min), and 17 +/- 4.0 (210 min). These values were reduced significantly when compared to the dogs ventilated with 30% oxygen.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)