Oleic Acid Lung Damage in Pigs

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Abstract
To produce a lung damage model simulating post-traumatic pulmonary insufficiency, oleic acid 0.1 ml/kg body wt (b.w.) was infused i.v. into 8 mechanically ventilated young pigs, and the effects were studied for 2 h. After the infusion, PaO2 [arterial O2 partial pressure] during air breathing decreased to a fairly low and stable level of .apprx. 7 kiloPascals. Venous admixture during air breathing and VD/Vt [dead space/tidal vol ratio] showed a marked initial increase and then remained unchanged, while venous admixture during breathing of pure O2 increased but less markedly. Hematocrit arterial CO2 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 resembled posttraumatic pulmonary insufficiency with respect both to the V/Q [ventilation perfusion] ratio displacement and to the macroscopic appearance of the lungs at autopsy.