Biomaterial Database

Aspiration pneumonitis and pulmonary phospholipids. 1976

K F Baum, and D L Beckman

Peptic aspiration pneumonitis (Mendelson's syndrome) results when gastric acid is aspirated into the lung, as may occur during anesthesia. In the present study, 0.1 N HCl was insufflated via the endotracheal tube into pentobarbital-anesthetized dogs in an amount sufficient to cause severe pulmonary damage. At death, the thorax was opened, the lungs grossly examined, and either weighed and desiccated for determination of wet/dry lung weight ratios, rinsed with saline for removal of alveolar surface phospholipids, or homogenized for whole lung phospholipid determination. Gross appearance and wet/dry lung weight ratios indicated severe pulmonary edema. The surface tension values of the lung wash were elevated over control values. Lysophophatidyl-choline (LPC) showed a striking increase over control values. Because LPC is a potent hemolytic agent which builds up in the lung following this pulmonary insult, and because increased hemorrhaging gradually develops following experimental acid insufflation, it is concluded that LPC is most probably causally related to the hemorrhagic pneumonia of Mendelson's syndrome.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008168	Lung	Either of the pair of organs occupying the cavity of the thorax that effect the aeration of the blood.	Lungs
D008244	Lysophosphatidylcholines	Derivatives of PHOSPHATIDYLCHOLINES obtained by their partial hydrolysis which removes one of the fatty acid moieties.	Lysolecithin,Lysolecithins,Lysophosphatidylcholine
D009929	Organ Size	The measurement of an organ in volume, mass, or heaviness.	Organ Volume,Organ Weight,Size, Organ,Weight, Organ
D010743	Phospholipids	Lipids containing one or more phosphate groups, particularly those derived from either glycerol (phosphoglycerides see GLYCEROPHOSPHOLIPIDS) or sphingosine (SPHINGOLIPIDS). They are polar lipids that are of great importance for the structure and function of cell membranes and are the most abundant of membrane lipids, although not stored in large amounts in the system.	Phosphatides,Phospholipid
D011015	Pneumonia, Aspiration	A type of lung inflammation resulting from the aspiration of food, liquid, or gastric contents into the upper RESPIRATORY TRACT.	Acid Aspiration Syndrome,Aspiration Pneumonia,Gastric Acid Aspiration Syndrome,Mendelson Syndrome,Mendelson's Syndrome,Acid Aspiration Syndromes,Aspiration Pneumonias,Mendelsons Syndrome,Pneumonias, Aspiration,Syndrome, Acid Aspiration,Syndrome, Mendelson,Syndrome, Mendelson's,Syndromes, Acid Aspiration
D004285	Dogs	The domestic dog, Canis familiaris, comprising about 400 breeds, of the carnivore family CANIDAE. They are worldwide in distribution and live in association with people. (Walker's Mammals of the World, 5th ed, p1065)	Canis familiaris,Dog
D000818	Animals	Unicellular or multicellular, heterotrophic organisms, that have sensation and the power of voluntary movement. Under the older five kingdom paradigm, Animalia was one of the kingdoms. Under the modern three domain model, Animalia represents one of the many groups in the domain EUKARYOTA.	Animal,Metazoa,Animalia
D013500	Surface Tension	The force acting on the surface of a liquid, tending to minimize the area of the surface. (From McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms, 6th ed)	Interfacial Force,Interfacial Tension,Surface Tensions,Tension, Surface,Tensions, Surface