What Researchers Did
Researchers monitored microembolic signals (MES) in five patients with prosthetic aortic valves while they inspired 100% oxygen, with one patient also receiving hyperbaric oxygen.
What They Found
Inspiration of 100% oxygen significantly reduced microembolic signals from 96 to 2 per 30 minutes. Conversely, increasing dissolved oxygen in a hyperbaric chamber increased MES from 0.3 to 0.9 per minute. These findings provide strong evidence that microemboli in these patients are gaseous.
What This Means for Canadian Patients
Understanding that microembolic signals in patients with prosthetic aortic valves are predominantly gaseous could help guide future research into their prevention. This knowledge may eventually lead to improved care for Canadian patients with artificial heart valves.
Canadian Relevance
This study has no direct Canadian connection as it was not conducted in Canada nor involved Canadian researchers or patients.
Study Limitations
A significant limitation of this study is the very small sample size of only five patients.