Background :
Acute lung injury (ALI) occasionally occurs after pulmonary resection and carries a bad
prognosis with a high mortality rate ranging from 20 to 100%.
Objectives :
1. to evaluate pre-, intra- and postoperative changes in hemodynamics, oxygenation indices
as well as intra- and extravascular lung water using simple thermodilution technique and
continuous arterial pressure analysis
2. to test the efficacy of inhaled beta2 -adrenergic agonist versus anticholinergic agents
to reduce lung edema in patients undergoing thoracic surgery and in pigs subjected to
lipolysacharide-induced ALI.
Design of the research protocol:
- Prospective controlled trial including surgical patients with high risk factors for ALI
(n=60) allocated to receive inhaled drugs (randomised, double-blind, cross-over mode).
- Main measurements:
Intra-thoracic blood volume, intra- and extra-vascular lung water, hemodynamic parameters
(CO, systolic arterial pressure/flow variations, dPmax, MAP, CVP), oxygenation indices
(PaO2/FIO2), ventilatory parameters, clinical outcome data, histochemical and pathological
data.
Glossary CO = cardiac output; dPmax = maximal arterial pressure slope; SAP-V = systolic
arterial pressure variations; Flow-V = Flow variations; MAP = mean arterial pressure; CVP =
central venous pressure; PaO2=arterial oxygen pressure; FIO2= oxygen inspiratory fraction