Effect of volume recruitment on response to surfactant treatment in rabbits with lung injury

• Published in: American journal of respiratory and critical care medicine Vol. 156; no. 3; pp. 862 - 866
• Main Authors: KRAUSE, M, OLSSON, T, LAW, A. B, PARKER, R. A, LINDSTROM, D. P, SUNDELL, H. W, COTTON, R. B
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, NY American Lung Association 01-09-1997
• Subjects: Animals; Biological and medical sciences; Combined Modality Therapy; Disease Models, Animal; Drug Evaluation, Preclinical; Functional Residual Capacity - drug effects; Humans; Infant, Newborn; Lung Compliance - drug effects; Medical sciences; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Pulmonary Gas Exchange - drug effects; Pulmonary Surfactants - therapeutic use; Rabbits; Respiration, Artificial - methods; Respiratory Distress Syndrome, Newborn - therapy; Respiratory system; Tidal Volume - drug effects; Lung disease; Vertebrata; Chemotherapy; Mammalia; Lung function; Treatment; Rat; Pulmonary surfactant; Respiratory disease; Animal; Rodentia; Exploration
• ISSN: 1073-449X; 1535-4970
• DOI: 10.1164/ajrccm.156.3.9507096

We determined if surfactant treatment effect can be enhanced by mechanical volume recruitment during surfactant administration by measuring functional residual capacity, tidal volume, the alveolar portion of tidal volume, dynamic compliance of the respiratory system, a/A ratio, and PaCO2 by measuring before and after surfactant administration to rabbits with lung injury induced by airway lavage. There was improvement in all lung function indices when surfactant was given with volume recruitment, but when surfactant was given without volume recruitment, the only index to show significant improvement was a/A ratio of oxygenation. These results support the hypothesis that mechanical recruitment of terminal airspaces from a previously unventilated compartment will enhance the effectiveness of surfactant replacement by facilitating the distribution of instilled surfactant to this compartment.