Effect of urea-hydrogen peroxide on hypoxia in rabbits.

PaO2 in hypoxemic rabbits was raised 30 min after intravenous administration of urea-hydrogen peroxide (U-H2O2). Peak levels appeared 2 h after administration of the drug and the effect continued up to 4 h. The treatment was effective and no side effects in the rabbits were observed. A new technique is described to produce hypoxemia in rabbits using a special mask. In contrast to previously described techniques the rabbits in this study could be kept alive with a stable hypoxemia for at least 4-5 h. This model may be useful for future studies requiring similar hypoxemic conditions in experimental animals.