The use of a virtual patient to follow changes in arterial blood gases associated with therapeutic thoracentesis.

CONCLUSION: Therapeutic thoracentesis may cause both an increase and a decrease in PaO2 during the procedure. Pleural pressure decrease, caused by pleural fluid withdrawal, improves the perfusion of atelectatic lung areas. If the rate of recruitment of these areas is low, a lack of ventilation causes the arterial blood oxygen tension to fall. Effective hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction may protect against the pulmonary shunt. PMID: 30141367 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Source: The International Journal of Artificial Organs - Category: Transplant Surgery Authors: Tags: Int J Artif Organs Source Type: research