Treatment of Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome and Acute Lung Injury with liquid ventilation

摘要

This report is about the possibilities of using Perfluorocarbons, PFC, in the treatment of the lung conditions Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome, ARDS, and Acute Lung Injury, ALI. The report contains both an analysis of the conventional treatment methods and a critical review of publicised experiments. The literature shows that ARDS and ALI are conditions, where the surfactant production is inhibited and in our review of the literature we discovered that the lack of surfactant in the lung can inhibit the amount of oxygen absorbed, especially because the lung surface area is diminished. Three different methods of liquid ventilation are used and the results of one experiment show that the method of vaporizing PFC into the lung is better than the others. This method has the fewest side effects, although still creating the film in the lung that keeps the alveoli open and eases the oxygen absorption. The experiments we analysed have not enabled us to determine the exact usability of liquid ventilation. A lot of uncertainty is still associated with the side effects of liquid ventilation with PFC and whether liquid ventilation is a better treatment than the conventional treatment. Larger experimental studies with both animals and humans are needed. Since the development of treatment by both conventional ventilation and liquid ventilation is ongoing, we have not been able to conclude which treatment is better.