Estimating the Impact of Peritoneal Perfluorocarbon Perfusion on Carbon Dioxide Transport Dynamics in a Laboratory Animal

This paper identifies a state-space model of the impact of the peritoneal perfusion of an oxygenated perfluorocarbon (PFC) on the dynamics of carbon dioxide (CO
2
) transport in a large laboratory animal. Previous research shows that such perfusion has the potential to enable the peritoneal cavity to serve as a "third lung" that supplements oxygenation during hypoxia. However, the effect of this potential treatment modality on CO
2
transport dynamics remains relatively unexplored. The paper addresses this gap by: (i) proposing a three-compartment model of CO
2
transport dynamics; (ii) utilizing time scale separation to simplify it into a residualized single-compartment model; and (iii) parameterizing the model using experimental data. Two experimental datasets are used for parameterization, involving the use of reduced minute ventilation to induce hypercarbia both (i) with and (ii) without PFC perfusion. Fisher analysis is used for quantifying the resulting model parameter uncertainties. The outcomes of this analysis strongly suggest a positive impact of perfusion on CO
2
clearance, with further validation experiments planned as future work.