Effect of Aeration of the Small Intestine on the Oxyhæmoglobin Content of Portal Blood

Abstract

DURING recent years, it has been suggested by various authors that anoxia of the liver is a condition underlying some pathological processes (traumatic shock, liver cirrhosis, etc.). About 75 per cent of blood supply to the liver is via the portal vein, which, however, contains desaturated blood. If it were possible to augment substantially the concentration of oxyhæmoglobin in the portal blood without diminution in the blood flow, it would be expected that the oxygen supply to the liver tissue would rise. Some attempts have been made to improve it by surgical procedures. Hay and Webb¹ lowered the mortality-rate by 900 per cent in experimental shock in dogs by creating arteriovenous shunts on the splenic vessels. Clinical observations indicate that the supply of oxygen via the stomach may be of benefit to premature babies. As the epithelium of the intestinal tube is permeable to gases and the extent of its surface area large enough, one can expect that portal blood can be enriched by oxygen introduced into the lumen of the gut.