Our results suggest that early partial liquid ventilation increases survival after extended acid-induced lung injury. While effects on arterial oxygenation appear not to predict acute survival we observed less intrapulmonary neutrophil accumulation with early partial liquid ventilation.

Conventional blood gas analyses may not detect rapid changes in gas exchange which occur during respiratory distress syndrome and its treatment. Additionally, intermittent blood withdrawal can result in hypovolaemia and anaemia especially in small animals. In this context a signi cant improvement has been achieved by the development of intravascular photochemical blood gas and pH sensors like the Paratrend 71 sensor. This sensor has a diameter of approximately 0.5 mm and can be inserted intravascularly through a 20-gauge cannula. Optical bres measure pH and blood gases, and a thermocouple is used to measure temperature. Oxygen saturation, and bicarbonate and base excess are computed continuously.The applicability of such sensors has been studied in adult as well as paediatric patients with a body weight as low as 2.7 kg (

Our results suggest that partial liquid ventilation has no additional beneficial effects on gas exchange after life-threatening salt water-induced lung injury when compared to conventional gas ventilation with positive end-expiratory pressure.

Our results suggest that the level of end-expiratory airway pressure is a determinant of evaporative perfluorocarbon loss and may have relevance for maintenance dosing and instillation intervals during partial liquid ventilation.