The Removal of Artificial Fat Emulsions from the Blood Stream of Dogs

Cottonseed‐oil emulsions were given intravenously to dogs in different doses and the disappearance of the injected fat from the blood stream was followed turbidimetrically. It was found that the fat was removed from the circulating blood with a speed that followed a single exponential function and that the disappearance rate decreased with increasing doses, if the rate of disappearance was expressed by the slope of the exponential regression line (K‐value) or by the percentage of removal per hour. The average intravascular half‐life for I.O g of fat per kg is 20 min, and the maximal amount of emulsified fat that can be removed completely from the blood stream during a 24‐hour period seems to be 2 to 3 g of fat per kg in the dog. Following a single I‐g‐per‐kg dose of fat, the ability to remove an equal dose is depressed and remains depressed for more than eight hours but returns to normal within 24 hours. Protamine depresses the elimination rate for intravenous fat with about 50% during a limited period.