Preservation of Regional and Global Left Ventricular Function by Intracoronary Infusion with Oxygenated Fluorocarbon Emulsion Therox^TM in Dogs

Abstract

We tested the oxygen transport and delivery capacity of the novel perfluorocarbon emulsion, Therox^TM (F44E, 1,2-bis-perfluorobutyl-ethylene) by comparing left ventricular regional and global function in dogs during perfusion of the left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) with oxygenated Krebs buffer and oxygenated Therox^TM emulsion (20% w/v) at 20 ml/min for two separate 3 min periods. During LAD perfusion with oxygenated Krebs buffer, complete loss of systolic wall thickening in the LAD perfusion area was observed, dP/dt was significantly reduced and left ventricular end-diastolic pressure (LVEDP) was increased. In contrast, LAD perfusion with oxygenated Therox^TM maintained regional wall thickening at 60–70 % of control and completely preserved global function as measured by dP/dt and LVEDP. Thus, Therox^TM is an effective oxygen carrier in this animal model.