Breathing a life-Sustaining liquid.A new oxygen-bearing lubricant, called perflubron, has been tested on 13 premature infants with severe surfactant Surfactant Definition Surfactant is a complex naturally occurring substance made of six lipids (fats) and four proteins that is produced in the lungs. It can also be manufactured synthetically. deficiency. The 9/12/96 issue of the New England Journal Of Medicine The New England Journal of Medicine (New Engl J Med or NEJM) is an English-language peer-reviewed medical journal published by the Massachusetts Medical Society. It is one of the most popular and widely-read peer-reviewed general medical journals in the world. reported that eight survived following the treatment who would otherwise have been expected to die. Colorless and odorless, perflubron can be used in place of surfactant to bathe the lungs. But because it carries 25 times as much oxygen as blood plasma blood plasma n. The yellow or gray-yellow, protein-containing fluid portion of blood in which the blood cells and platelets are normally suspended. does, perflubron helps the lungs exchange carbon dioxide for oxygen. These preliminary findings, the first reported from a 40-center trial of 480 premature babies, indicate that infants on a respirator respirator /res·pi·ra·tor/ (res´pi-ra?ter) ventilator (2). cuirass respirator see under ventilator. can be sustained on perflubron for 76 hours. Thereafter, use of the lubricant can be discontinued, and infants can ultimately be shifted to room air. The therapy might also be used to deliver drugs to the airways and thus hasten recovery from serious diseases. -- Science News, 9/29/96 |
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