Collection and Analysis of Respiratory Mucus from Subjects without Lung Disease

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Abstract
We collected the respiratory mucus coating the endotracheal tubes used during short surgical procedures in 27 patients with no clinical evidence of respiratory disease. Twelve were male and 15 were female, and they ranged from 1 to 64 yr of age (mean, 28.7 yr). The viscoelastic properties, frog palate transport rate, and percent solid composition were in the normal range reported for both canine and human mucus collected using the bronchoscopy brush technique. There were no significant differences noted between male and female patients, and there were no changes in mucus or transport properties seen with aging. Mucus was also collected separately from the inside of the tube exposed to constant gas flow (13 patients), and from the outside of the endotracheal tubes in 25 patients. Although there were no significant differences in viscoelastic properties between inside and outside mucus, there was a greater thread formation (filance, 45 versus 26 mm; p < 0.005) and a higher percentage of solids in mucus from the inside of the endotracheal tube (15.9 versus 11.4%; p < 0.05), which is compatible with reduced hydration. The duration of anesthesia ranged from 25 to 195 min (mean, 85 min). There was no effect of duration of anesthesia on any of the measured mucus properties. This technique for mucus collection allow us to study alterations in mucus properties in patients with and without pulmonary disease at the time of the incidental surgery. This collection technique also gives us the ability to study changes in mucus properties in patients who could not otherwise produce mucus for analysis (e.g., light smokers, stable asthmatic patients, allergic nonasthmatic patients, healthy patients receiving chronic "mucoactive" medications) or in response to variations in anesthetic technique or medications.