Researchers complete first human trial on viability of enteral ventilation

Summary

Scientists that won an infamous 2024 IgNobel Prize for "discovering that many mammals are capable of breathing through their anus" may indeed have the last laugh. They've now completed a successful human trial testing the safety and tolerability of enteral ventilation, a technique that gets oxygen into the body via an unconventional route.Japanese and US researchers, led by the Cincinnati Children's Hospital, have completed the first-ever human trial testing the viability of enteral ventilation, where patients with severe respiratory failure could potentially have oxygen delivered through the intestine, allowing the lungs to recover and to prevent further injury. The procedure's safety and tolerability was examined on 27 healthy male adults in Japan, who had oxygen-rich fluid pumped into their anus. “This is the first human data, and the results are limited solely to demonstrating the safety of the procedure and not its effectiveness," said researcher Takanori Takebe, MD, PhD, from the Cincinnati Children’s and the University of Osaka. "But now that we have established tolerance, the next step will be to evaluate how effective the process is for delivering oxygen to the bloodstream." Visual abstract shows highlights of enteral ventilation concept developed by Takanori Takebe, MD, PhD, and colleaguesCincinnati Children's Hospital The brave volunteers, aged 20-45 years, received a single intrarectal dose of non-oxygenated perfluorodecalin liquid (up to 1,500 ml), which they were required to retain for 60 minutes. Safety and tolerability were assessed by monitoring of adverse events, vital signs, clinical laboratory tests and systemic perfluorodecalin exposure. And a model using large-animal data was used to predict potential oxygen transfer. Perfluorodecalin was used due to its excellent oxygen-carrying abilities. Twenty of the volunteers held the liquid for 60 minutes, and at the largest volume of 1,500 ml, there were only mild side effects of abdominal bloating and ...