Elevated Plasma Surfactant Protein-B Predicts Development of Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome in Patients with Acute Respiratory Failure

摘要

Surfactant protein-B is a lung specific protein secreted into the air spaces by pulmonary epithelial type II cells that leaks into the bloodstream in increased amounts in patients with ARDS. To test whether elevated plasma levels of surfactant protein-B would pre- dict the development of ARDS in patients with acute hypoxemic respiratory failure, plasma and lung injury scores were collected at study entry and daily thereafter for 3 d from 54 patients admitted to our intensive care unit.