Effect of administration of water enriched in O(2) by injection or electrolysis on transcutaneous oxygen pressure in anesthetized pigs

BACKGROUND: Oral administration of oxygenated water has been shown to improve blood oxygenation and could be an alternate way for oxygen (O(2)) supply. In this experiment, tissue oxygenation was compared in anesthetized pigs receiving a placebo or water enriched in O(2) by injection or a new electrolytic process. METHODS: Forty-two pigs randomized in three groups received either mineral water as placebo or water enriched in O(2) by injection or the electrolytic process (10 mL/kg in the stomach). Hemodynamic parameters, partial pressure of oxygen in the arterial blood (PaO(2)), skin blood flow, and tissue oxygenation (transcutaneous oxygen pressure, or TcPO(2)) were monitored during 90 minutes of general anesthesia. Absorption and tissue distribution of the three waters administered were assessed using dilution of deuterium oxide. RESULTS: Mean arterial pressure, heart rate, PaO(2), arteriovenous oxygen difference, and water absorption from the gut were not significantly different among the three groups. The deuterium to protium ratio was also similar in the plasma, skin, and muscle at the end of the protocol. Skin blood flow decreased in the three groups. TcPO(2) slowly decreased over the last 60 minutes of the experiment in the three groups, but when compared to the control group, the values remained significantly higher in animals that received the water enriched in O(2) by electrolysis. CONCLUSIONS: In this protocol, water enriched in O(2) by electrolysis lessened the decline of peripheral tissue oxygenation. This observation is compatible with the claim that the electrolytic process generates water clathrates which trap O(2) and facilitate O(2) diffusion along pressure gradients. Potential applications of O(2)-enriched water include an alternate method of oxygen supply.