OxyFile #93

TI:  Regional Oxygenation and Radiotherapy: A Study of the 
     Degradation of Infused Hydrogen Peroxide
     I. Infusate mixing

DT:  December 7, 1970

AU:  James I. MacNaughton

SO:  Int. J. Radiat. Bilog., 1971, Vol. 19, No. 5, pp 405-413

AB:  To ascribe the therapeutic benefits following simultaneous 
     peroxide infusion and radiotherapy to the oxygen effect is 
     to assume that the infused peroxide breaks down very 
     rapidly.  The literature gives disparate values for the rate 
     of decomposition of peroxide, one supporting the oxygen 
     effect, the other consonant with a "peroxide effect".  In 
     vitro experiments with model systems simulating in vivo flow 
     conditions have been used to examine the mixing of infusate 
     in a stream of flowing fluid.  Mixing has been shown to be 
     imperfect even after one second has elapsed.  The effect of 
     imperfect mixing on the decomposition rate has been 
     discussed.

     Infusion through an epidural cannula produces little or no 
     turbulence to assist mixing.  It was observed that two 
     reactive chemical species (peroxide and permanganate) can 
     coexist in stream form within a tube.  Similar behaviour 
     between blood catalase and infused peroxide may also be 
     possible.

     The decomposition of peroxide infused into flowing blood is 
     examined directly in the following paper (Oxy94.txt).