Development of an intravenous oxygenator using microbubbles

Patients in critical care with lung injuries require oxygenation, but current methods are not applicable for all situations. The most common method, Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation is an expensive procedure and requires highly trained staff. Respiratory Assist Catheters (RACs) could be used as an alternative because they do not place extra stress on the lungs, are easy to implement, cost-effective and are available for immediate use in clinical settings or in first aid situations. This paper describes experiments and simulations to evaluate the feasibility of intravenously oxygenating the blood using microbubbles. The tests included in vivo and ex vivo tests using animal models to investigate both the dissolution times of the microbubbles as well as the physiological effects of an intravenously placed device. Numerical simulations based on the dissolution rate of oxygen in venous blood were also completed. The results indicate that the dissolution times for the micro bubbles are too slow for the device to be successful in clinical practice.