The intraluminal administration of perfluorochemicals to the ischaemic gastrointestinal tract.

Necrosis of small intestine and gastric mucosa in various clinical states is probably related to local mucosal hypoxia. These experiments, in which oxygen-carrying perfluorochemicals were used to deliver oxygen directly into the lumen of ischaemic gut or stressed stomach, by reducing the rate of necrosis of intestinal villi and the rate of stress ulceration respectively, suggest that such methods may be useful in clinical situations.