A Third Generation Perfluorocarbon Causes Thrombocytopenia, Platelet Dysfunction And Changes In Blood Morphology In A Baboon Model Of Systemic Inflammation

A 3rd generation perfluorocarbon (PFC) is under development for the treatment of traumatic brain injury (TBI). PFCs have high gas solubility and can deliver oxygen to support ischemic brain tissue. This drug increased brain tissue oxygen consumption, decreased infarct size, and improved functional deficits in animal models of brain injury, but it also caused transient thrombocytopenia of unknown etiology. Acute inflammation also causes platelet deficits and is common in the setting of severe TBI. The interaction between the two could exacerbate thrombocytopenia. Here we studied PFC effects on platelet function, platelet morphology and global hemostasis in a lipopolysaccharide (LPS) baboon model of inflammation.