Perfluorocarbon emulsion improves oxygen transport of normal and sickle cell human blood in vitro

Abstract Perfluorocarbons (PFC) are compounds with high gas solubility that could help deliver O 2 to tissues and have been suggested as adjunct therapy to ischemia. Using a newly designed in vitro system, we tested the hypothesis that a third generation PFC emulsion (Oxycyte) increased O 2 transport of blood by measuring changes in O 2 extraction ratio. The system included a computer‐controlled pump and blood‐gas exchange chambers to oxygenate and deoxygenate the blood from nine sickle cell disease (SCD) patients and five healthy donors. The flowing blood reached various levels of hemoglobin O 2 saturation and O 2 partial pressures (PO 2 ), measured using a CO‐oximeter and a blood gas analyzer. The mixtures were kept at physiological blood pressure and temperature, constant flow, normobaric conditions, and F i O 2 = 0.30. After adding PFC, the measurements suggested an increase in the transport of O 2 and CO. Addition of PFC resulted in larger PO 2 difference from 15 ± 2 mmHg to 23 ± 2 mmHg. Using normal blood and blood from SCD patients, the average O 2 extraction ratio (O 2 ER) after PFC was significantly higher than baseline. Addition of saline did not cause statistically significant changes. The data suggest increased (facilitated) O 2 transport by this PFC emulsion in both normal and SCD blood. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A: 102A: 2105–2115, 2014.