Simulation of delivering oxygen directly to the target tissues by injection

Abstract

Oxygen is vital to all animal life. Hypoxia is one of the most threatening factors to human health in emergency care clinics. However, the currently available methods to supply oxygen for patient with hypoxia are generally too slow to be effective. In this paper, we proposed a new conceptual method to directly deliver oxygen to the target tissues in the deep body, which is generally inaccessible by traditional way, through injection of solution with high oxygen content. Particularly, the cooling solution was administered to decrease the consumption rate of the oxygen and thus lengthen the endurable time for the patient, aiming to spare more valuable times for a clinical rescue. To evaluate the feasibility of this method, a mathematical model was established to characterize the multi-mode transport process, which is simultaneously coupled with fluid flow, heat transport and mass diffusion events. Preliminary simulation indicates that this method can quickly improve and maintain well the oxygen level in the target tissues inside the deep biological body. It may open a brand new technical strategy for tissue oxygen delivery, which would find significant applications in emergency rescue, especially in those clinical situations requesting immediate and volumetric oxygen supplying.