MedPage Small trial suggests blood oxygenation via the gut may be feasible in humans, but will it work? Young men tolerated the anal administration of a liquid with a high capacity for oxygenation in a phase Ia trial from Japan — a dose of good news for researchers who are developing a rectal ventilation system for patients in respiratory failure.
Among 27 men who received 25 mL to 1.5 L of a water-like liquid known as perfluorodecalin, 20 were able to retain it within their intestines for 60 minutes, reported Takanori Takebe, MD, PhD, of the Institute of Science Tokyo, and colleagues in the journal Med, a Cell Press journal. No serious adverse effects were reported in the first-in-human, dose-escalation study, which used a non-oxygenated form of the liquid.
The enema-like procedure is both safe and tolerable, said Takebe, who has received international attention for his work developing a procedure that’s become known as “butt breathing.”
“We are hoping to supplement existing invasive respiratory support like mechanical ventilators or ECMO [extracorporeal membrane oxygenation] to be able to wean patients down or maybe prevent the usage of such very advanced respiratory control methods,” he told MedPage Today, noting that he is especially excited to find that “the rectum can be used for other purposes besides the traditional primary functions.”
“I’m so optimistic about the range of potential for the gut,” he added.
Takebe said that his project was inspired by a freshwater bottom-dwelling fish known as the loach and other aquatic creatures that can breathe through their intestines. He and his team discovered the unique biological talents of the loach and its counterparts when they were searching during the COVID-19 pandemic for “weird animals who can take up oxygen in better ways than we do.”