Ventilating the rectum to support respiration

(Tokyo Medical and Dental University) Researchers from Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU) have demonstrated that delivering oxygen via the rectum as a gas or in an oxygen-rich liquid can support oxygen provision to organs and tissues during respiratory failure. Such " enteral ventilation " increased oxygenation, improved behavior and prolonged survival in experimental mouse and pig models of respiratory failure. Further research may allow its clinical application in human patients as a less invasive alternative to ventilators and artificial lungs.
Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health - Category: International Medicine & Public Health Source Type: news