Abstract: Objective To investigate the efficacy of mild hypothermia therapy on pulmonary function in acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) dogs. Methods A total of 25 healthy dogs were included and randomly divided into two groups, mild hypothermia treatment group (experimental group, n=12) and normothermia treatment group (control group, n=13). The E. coli was pumped continuously into the canine femoral vein by micro pump to construct the septic shock model in two groups. The hypothermia experimental group was treated with hypothermia (33 ℃±1 ℃), and the control group was observed at room temperature. The pulmonary hemodynamic parameters and respiratory mechanics parameters were supervised by PICCO and respirator respectively at 0, 24 and 48 h during the ARDS progress. Moreover, chest X-ray and lung tissue biopsy were taken to confirm the diagnosis of ARDS after 72 h. Results Up to 72 h, ARDS was found in the experimental group (n=4) and the control group (n=7) respectively. The oxygenation index (OI), partial pressure of oxygen [p(O2)] and pulmonary static compliance (Cst) decreased gradually with the extension of time in two groups. On the contrary, the external venous lung water index (EVLWI), pulmonary vascular permeability index (PVPI) and airway resistance (Raw) increased gradually (P < 0.05). However, all the parameters were significantly better in mild hypothermia group than those of the normothermia group. Conclusion Mild hypothermia therapy can improve the pulmonary function and reduce the severity of ARDS in septic shock dogs.

Key words: shock, septic, canidae, hemodynamics, respiratory distress syndrome, adult, respiratory function, mild hypothermia, septic shock