title: Serum surfactant protein-A levels in patients with acute cardiogenic pulmonary edema and adult respiratory distress syndrome.
abstract: Detection of alveolo-capillary damage has important implications for treatment modalities in ventilated patients. Although surfactant protein-A (SP-A) is normally only found in appreciable amounts in the lung, we describe significantly elevated concentrations in the sera of patients with acute cardiogenic pulmonary edema (median, 250 ng/ml; range, 180 to 364; n = 10) and in those with the adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) (median, 378 ng/ml; range, 215 to 1,378; n = 15) relative to healthy control subjects (median, 175 ng/ml; range, 123 to 248; n = 15) and ventilated patients with no cardiorespiratory disease (median, 169 ng/ml; range, 126 to 253; n = 6) (p < 0.01, in all cases). Serum SP-A was inversely related to blood oxygenation and to static respiratory system compliance both at the time of the patient's entry into the study (p < 0.005, rs = -0.51, n = 31; p < 0.001, rs = 0.82, n = 17; respectively) and during the course of admission (p < 0.001, rs = -0.34, n = 168; p < 0.001, rs = -0.50, n = 111; respectively). In addition, we describe in detail three cases of ARDS where lung function either improved, remained static, or deteriorated. We conclude that serum SP-A is an acute indicator of lung function and alveolo-capillary membrane injury.
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Physiology, School of Medicine, Flinders Medical Centre, Adelaide, Australia.
authors.forename: I R
authors.initials: IR
authors.lastname: Doyle
authors.forename: T E
authors.initials: TE
authors.lastname: Nicholas
authors.forename: A D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Bersten
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015824:Blood-Air Barrier / Q000502:physiology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D062787:Drug Overdose / Q000097:blood / Q000628:therapy; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006023:Glycoproteins / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D008170:Lung Compliance / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010100:Oxygen / Q000097:blood; D011510:Proteolipids / Q000097:blood*; D011654:Pulmonary Edema / Q000097:blood* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy; D037662:Pulmonary Surfactant-Associated Protein A; D037661:Pulmonary Surfactant-Associated Proteins; D011663:Pulmonary Surfactants / Q000097:blood*; D012121:Respiration, Artificial; D012128:Respiratory Distress Syndrome / Q000097:blood* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy
chemical_list: D006023:Glycoproteins; D011510:Proteolipids; D037662:Pulmonary Surfactant-Associated Protein A; D037661:Pulmonary Surfactant-Associated Proteins; D011663:Pulmonary Surfactants; D010100:Oxygen