Humans involve acup of oxygen per minuteto survive . This is because oxygen in the blood helps with push production . In healthy individuals , atomic number 8 is uncommitted in abundance . However , some illnesses ( such as COVID-19 ) and acute lung psychic trauma can have lung damage that can compromise oxygen deliverance . In turn , this can get patient to get hypoxemia – where less atomic number 8 give it to the bloodstream . Even a few minutes of atomic number 8 deprivation at the tissue level – hypoxia – can induce previously healthy citizenry to become neurologically bear on for life .

In serious cases , affected role will often be put on ventilators or be give Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation ( ECMO ) – where the blood is taken out of doors of the body , atomic number 8 is added , and carbon dioxide is bump off . But as seen during the COVID-19 pandemic , these machine can bescarceand can produce injuries to the lungs and cause transmission .

Now , scientists at Boston Children ’s Hospital might have developed an alternative means to distribute O to a patient : Through an endovenous line . They have put out their findings in the journalPNAS .

Normally , if you interpose oxygen into the blood stream , it can make an melody house of cards that can jam the blood line vas . This can often be fatal – and is what happens when divers get " the bends " after coming back to the surface too quickly after diving event – but the new applied science can overpower this .

The scientists showed that combining oxygen and a liquid solution containing phospholipid through a series of decreasing - sized nozzles can create bubble that are smaller than red bloodline cubicle . This routine can be done in substantial - time and on - need .

The bubbles are coated in a “ membrane ” that is standardized to the cell in the consistency . This membrane helps to prevent the bubble from merging to create a larger one , minimizes material - related toxicities , and provides a pathway for O to diffuse in and out of the blood .

In the bailiwick , when the donate human blood underwent this technology , rakehell oxygen saturation levels were lifted from 15 per centum to over 95 percent , in just a few minutes . When the scientists conducted this study on live rats , the physical process increase the intensity from 20 percent to 50 per centum .

Positively , these twist provide controller of the book of fluid administrated and the atomic number 8 dosage . These parameters are both critical in disease direction for critically ill patients .

Caution should be lead , however , as this was only a proof - of - construct sketch , which now need to be tested on big animals before moving on to human trials .

But look forrad , the new technology could facilitate train the dead body for ventilators or ECMO and could also be incorporate into existing ventilators , which will allow fluent integration into existing workflow .