Microcirculatory Support by Fluorocarbons

Fluorocarbons, or more strictly perfluorochemical (PFC) containing plasma substitutes have a high solubility for the respiratory gases, a desirable feature for a plasma substitute. This was dramatically demonstrated by their ability to sustain life for many hours in rats almost completely devoid of red cells. The ability of PFCs to carry oxygen exceeds that of other hemodilutents and they have been shown to produce better oxygenation under conditions of hemodilution than hydroxyethyl starch, dextran solutions or stroma-free hemoglobin solutions.