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Published on: September 7, 2016
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Acute overventilation does not cause lung damage in moderately hemorrhaged swine
Megan B Blackburn1, Ian L Hudson1, Cassandra Rodriguez1
1Tactical and Enroute Care Research Department, United States Army Institute of Surgical Research, Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston, San Antonio, Texas.
Journal of Applied Physiology (Bethesda, Md. : 1985)
|March 18, 2021
Summary
Acute hyperventilation in trauma patients does not cause lung damage or inflammation. This study found no adverse effects from short-term overventilation in swine models following hemorrhage, suggesting it is safe in prehospital care.
Area of Science:
- Physiology
- Trauma Care
- Critical Care Medicine
Background:
- Airway management is critical for trauma and critically ill patients.
- Prolonged mechanical ventilation can cause lung injury (barotrauma).
- Consequences of acute (≤1 hour) overventilation are not well-studied.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effects of acute hyperventilation on systemic inflammation and lung damage.
- To test the hypothesis that acute hyperventilation, as may occur in prehospital settings, causes adverse effects.
Main Methods:
- Female Yorkshire pigs underwent controlled hemorrhage followed by 1 hour of spontaneous breathing, normal ventilation, bag hyperventilation, maximum hyperventilation, or mechanical ventilation.
- Hemodynamic variables, blood markers of tissue damage, and plasma cytokines were measured.
- Lung pathology was assessed after 24 hours recovery.
Main Results:
- No significant impact on hemodynamic variables was observed across ventilation groups.
- Blood markers and plasma cytokines (except transient IL-1β) did not differ significantly between groups.
- Pathological review showed no significant differences in lung edema or other gross pathologies.
Conclusions:
- Acute hyperventilation, as may occur in prehospital trauma care, does not cause significant systemic inflammation or lung damage in swine models.
- These findings suggest that short-term overventilation is not detrimental to otherwise healthy lungs following moderate hemorrhage.
