Bunegin-albin catheter improves air retrieval and resuscitation from lethal venous air embolism in dogs

Three types of catheters, the single-orifice Sorenson CVP kit catheter, the right atrial (RA) port of an American Edwards 7F Swan-Ganz catheter, and the Cook Bunegin-Albin multi-orifice CVP catheter were evaluated for their ability to retrieve venous air emboli and effect on the success rate of resuscitation from venous air emboli. The catheters were inserted in anesthetized dogs in the prone position. Swan-Ganz catheters were positioned with the RA port just above the junction of the superior vena cava (SVC) and the RA, single-orifice Sorensen catheters with the orifice tip located either just above the SVC-RA junction or in the mid-RA, and Bunegin-Albin multiorifice catheters with the proximal orifice just above the SVC-RA junction and the distal orifice near the mid-RA. Dogs were then given a predetermined lethal dose of air (5 ml/kg) over 30 sec via the femoral vein. Attempts to aspirate venous air emboli were begun with first decrease in expired CO2. The amounts of air retrieved and the incidence of successful resuscitation were compared. Significantly greater percentages of injected venous air were retrieved with the Bunegin-Albin catheter (60 +/- 7%) than with the Sorenson catheter in the SVC (16 +/- 6%), with the Sorenson catheter in the mid-RA (10 +/- 3%) or with the Swan-Ganz RA port (4 +/- 1%). Resuscitation was significantly more often successful with the Bunegin-Albin catheter (six of nine dogs) than with either Sorenson catheter (zero of seven in both groups) or the Swan-Ganz RA port (one of seven).