Patients from the General Surgery, Trauma Surgery, Transplant, Cardiac and Oncologic Surgery divisions have been enrolled in this study. Further development of this IND to investigate its use in the cardiac transplant patient is currently underway. This protocol utilizes a perflurocarbon to maintain functional residual capacity while conventional gas ventilation is continued. Division studies on ventilatory strategies during PLV run concurrently with this protocol. Nitric Oxide Synthetase Inhibitor Hypotension is a hallmark of sepsis syndrome.
Recent evidence has shown vasodilatation during sepsis is modulated by inducible nitric oxide.
This multicenter trial compares the effects of nitric oxide synthetase inhibitor to conventional vasoactive agents in the treatment of sepsis related hypotension. The cascade of factors culminating in the development of ARDS is multi-factorial. Early intervention and prevention of ARDS would result in reduced mortality and costs. Procysteine scavenges oxygen free radicals and has been shown to reduce the incidence of ARDS in animal models. The Division is currently pursuing two studies which are designed to determine the effects of body position on lung function.