Biomaterial Database

Surfactant and adult respiratory distress syndrome. 1993

W Jacobson, and G R Park, and T Saich, and J Holcroft

University Department of Paediatrics, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge.

In order to determine if the Adult Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) is associated with a shortage of pulmonary surfactant, we have examined a series of 155 undiluted tracheal aspirates obtained from 23 patients with ARDS and from 30 patients without ARDS, all 53 needing ventilatory support. The unfixed and unstained specimens were examined by polarized light microscopy for the presence of pulmonary surfactant. Free surfactant particles were present in the aspirates of 50 patients (95%). Within minutes of obtaining the specimen, in addition to showing surfactant, the examination of these undiluted, unfixed tracheal aspirates by light microscopy showed the presence of bacterial and fungal infection. As fibrinogen/fibrin inactivates surfactant, the undiluted aspirates of 21 patients with ARDS and of 30 patients without ARDS were stained for the presence of these proteins by a new slide method using 0.01 ml of tracheal aspirate. Fibrinogen/fibrin was found in the aspirates from 20 of 21 patients with ARDS and in only five of 30 patients without ARDS; these five had bronchopneumonia. The method has a sensitivity of 0.95 and a specificity of 0.83. The role of plasma proteins and of neutrophil leucocytes in causing ARDS is discussed.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007958	Leukocyte Count	The number of WHITE BLOOD CELLS per unit volume in venous BLOOD. A differential leukocyte count measures the relative numbers of the different types of white cells.	Blood Cell Count, White,Differential Leukocyte Count,Leukocyte Count, Differential,Leukocyte Number,White Blood Cell Count,Count, Differential Leukocyte,Count, Leukocyte,Counts, Differential Leukocyte,Counts, Leukocyte,Differential Leukocyte Counts,Leukocyte Counts,Leukocyte Counts, Differential,Leukocyte Numbers,Number, Leukocyte,Numbers, Leukocyte
D008297	Male		Males
D008875	Middle Aged	An adult aged 45 - 64 years.	Middle Age
D011663	Pulmonary Surfactants	Substances and drugs that lower the SURFACE TENSION of the mucoid layer lining the PULMONARY ALVEOLI.	Surfactants, Pulmonary,Pulmonary Surfactant,Surfactant, Pulmonary
D012128	Respiratory Distress Syndrome	A syndrome characterized by progressive life-threatening RESPIRATORY INSUFFICIENCY in the absence of known LUNG DISEASES, usually following a systemic insult such as surgery or major TRAUMA.	ARDS, Human,Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome,Adult Respiratory Distress Syndrome,Pediatric Respiratory Distress Syndrome,Respiratory Distress Syndrome, Acute,Respiratory Distress Syndrome, Adult,Respiratory Distress Syndrome, Pediatric,Shock Lung,Distress Syndrome, Respiratory,Distress Syndromes, Respiratory,Human ARDS,Lung, Shock,Respiratory Distress Syndromes,Syndrome, Respiratory Distress
D005260	Female		Females
D005337	Fibrin	A protein derived from FIBRINOGEN in the presence of THROMBIN, which forms part of the blood clot.	Antithrombin I
D005340	Fibrinogen	Plasma glycoprotein clotted by thrombin, composed of a dimer of three non-identical pairs of polypeptide chains (alpha, beta, gamma) held together by disulfide bonds. Fibrinogen clotting is a sol-gel change involving complex molecular arrangements: whereas fibrinogen is cleaved by thrombin to form polypeptides A and B, the proteolytic action of other enzymes yields different fibrinogen degradation products.	Coagulation Factor I,Factor I,Blood Coagulation Factor I,gamma-Fibrinogen,Factor I, Coagulation,gamma Fibrinogen
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000293	Adolescent	A person 13 to 18 years of age.	Adolescence,Youth,Adolescents,Adolescents, Female,Adolescents, Male,Teenagers,Teens,Adolescent, Female,Adolescent, Male,Female Adolescent,Female Adolescents,Male Adolescent,Male Adolescents,Teen,Teenager,Youths