Phospholipasic and prophospholipasic activities in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid in severe acute pulmonary disease with or without ARDS

Abstract
Bronchoalveolar lavages were performed in 21 patients undergoing mechanical ventilation: Group I: coma due to sedative overdose (11 cases), without pulmonary impairment, serving as control group; Group II: severe acute pulmonary disease without ARDS (5 cases); Group III: patients with ARDS (5 cases). In the recovered fluid we measured: total proteins (P) and phospholipids (PL), phospholipasic (PLase) and prophospholipasic (PPLase) activities. In ARDS group, considerable increase of P, (ppp<0.01). PPLase activities were low or untetectable in four patients of this group. PLase/PL ratio was increased in acute respiratory insufficiency, with or without ARDS, suggesting an increase of surfactant catabolism. The decrease of this ratio when pulmonary function improved, or its increase after deterioration suggest that it is related to changes of surfactant.

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