Anesthesia MB187
Hershey Medical Center
Tel:717-531-8434
Fax:717-531-5549
Email:khigh@psghs.edu
Dr. High is a co-principal investigator on an NIH Contract dedicated to the development of a new artificial lung that is designed to be placed in the vena cava, right atrium and ventricle and the pulmonary artery. This device is intended to support the total oxygen and carbon dioxide transfer requirements of patients with severe lung failure. These patients cannot achieve sufficient gas exchange with their own lungs despite maximum settings of a mechanical ventilator. Such a device must maximize gas exchange surface area with minimal shunting of blood around the device while causing little resistance to blood flow. The device under development is made of dead ended microporous hollow fibers that are sealed at one end and attached to a central catheter at the other end. Oxygen will be supplied through the central catheter and carbon dioxide will be eliminated through the same central catheter. To date, prototypes have been bench tested in a water and blood test chamber and in animal experiments. Other research activities include clinical research projects. Once such project is investigating a new device to help treat patients with atelectasis from fractured ribs causing a flail chest. A negative extrathoracic pressure device, a Cuirass style vest, is being used in the study to see if the negative intrathoracic pressure will stent the chest wall and allow the patient to generate improved spontaneous breaths. Dr. High is also studying the pharmokinetics of a new muscle relaxant during continuous infusion in patients in the intensive care setting.
Laboratory facilities are located in the Biomedical Research Building at the Hershey Campus of the College of Medicine and consist of a total of 4,500 square feet which is divided into a machine shop facility, a clean assembly area, an in vitro bench test area, a shielded animal in vitro blood test section, and offices for fellows and staff. Major pieces of equipment include a Perkin-Elmer MGA 1100 mass spectrometer, Hewlett-Packard gas chromatograph/mass spectrometer, Siemens 900C ventilator, Scholander and Van Slyke gas analyzers, electrometric blood gas machine, vacuum still, pumps and membrane lungs for perfusion, and machining equipment.
High K. M., M. T. Snider, R. Richard, G. B. Russell, J. K. Stene, D. B. Campbell, T. X. Aufiero, G. A. Thieme: Clinical trials of an intravenous oxygenator (IVOX) in patients with adult respiratory distress syndrome. Anesthesiology 77: 856-863, 1992.
High K. M., T. Nicholson, R. B. Richard, G. R. J. Panol, K. Shelley, M. T. Snider: Effects of blood phase oscillation on gas transfer in a microporous intravascular lung. Trans Am Soc Artif Intern Organs 40: 1994 (in press).
Snider M. T., K. M. High, G. R. J. Panol, R. B. Richard, J. S. Ultman, H. Baskaran, J. K. Stene, S. Mandava: Construction and testing of larger intrapulmonary arterial lung.. Trans Am Soc Artif Intern Organs 40: 1994 (in press).
Ultman J. S., H. Baskaran, R. Richard, G. R. J. Panol, K. M. High, M. T. Snider: Modeling gas exchange through a blind-ended microporous fiber. Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of ASAIO 1994 (Abstract)