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The Learning Kingdom's Cool Fact of the Day for May 27, 1999
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What kind of liquid can be breathed just like air?
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Doctors are using a liquid called perflubron to save the lives of
people who might otherwise die of lung congestion. The non-water-
based fluid fills the lungs, displacing the watery fluids that
otherwise would accumulate there and possibly drown the patient.
Perflubron is a perfluorocarbon, a liquid that is closely related to
the plastic teflon. It does not mix with water, and it evaporates in
air. Because it carries oxygen and carbon dioxide almost as well as
plain air does, it can be used instead of air in the lungs. The
technique is called "liquid ventilation."
Tests are under way now to determine the best way to perform liquid
ventilation. It is hoped that it can be used to save the lives of
premature infants, who often experience lung failure because of fluid
accumulation.
Liquid ventilation might also be useful in deep-sea diving:
http://scienceweb.dao.nrc.ca/movies/abyss.html
More about liquid ventilation:
http://www.med.umich.edu/liquid/whatislv.html
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Copyright (c) 1999, The Learning Kingdom, Inc.
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