Oleic acid lung damage in pigs

Abstract

With the purpose of producing a lung damage model simulating post-traumatic pulmonary insufficiency, oleic acid 0.1 ml . kg-1 body weight (b.w.) was infused intravenously into eight mechanically ventilated young pigs, and the effects were studied for 2 h. After the infusion, PaO2 during air breathing decreased to a fairly low and stable level of about 7 kPa. Venous admixture during air breathing and VD/VT showed a marked initial increase and then remained unchanged, while venous admixture during breathing of pure oxygen increased but less markedly. Haematocrit (EVF), arterial carbon dioxide tension (PaCO2) and base excess (BE) were unchanged. Mean pulmonary arterial pressure more than doubled and cardiac output decreased by 1/3, which was considered to reflect an insuperable increase in the resistance of the pulmonary blood flow. The lung model was found to resemble post-traumatic pulmonary insufficiency with respect both to the V/Q ratio displacement and to the macroscopic appearance of the lungs at autopsy.