The fibroproliferative reaction to acute lung injury may limit restoration of normal lung function and increase mortality in patients with acute lung injury. A biologic marker of collagen synthesis in the lung may be useful for studying the pathogenesis of acute lung injury and for identifying patients with acute lung injury who are at high risk for death and might benefit from new therapeutic modalities. Using an immunoassay, type III procollagen NH2 terminal peptide was measured in the pulmonary edema fluid of 44 patients with either acute lung injury or hydrostatic pulmonary edema (control group) within the first 24 h after endotracheal intubation for acute respiratory failure. Patients with acute lung injury (n = 33) or hydrostatic edema (n = 11) had the same degree of lung dysfunction as measured by the severity of oxygenation defect, the level of positive end-expiratory pressure, the decrease in static lung compliance, and the extent of infiltrates on the chest radiograph. However, the median procollagen III level was 5-fold higher in the pulmonary edema fluid of patients with acute lung injury than in the patients with hydrostatic pulmonary edema (p = 0.0001). Of the 33 patients with acute lung injury, 21 patients died and 12 lived. Nonsurvivors had significantly higher procollagen III levels than did survivors (p = 0.05). The positive and negative predictive values for nonsurvival for a procollagen III level > or = 1.75 U/ml were 74 and 83%, respectively. The relative risk of dying in the presence of a procollagen III value > or = 1.75 U/ml was 4.5 (95% CI, 0.7 to 27). Collagen synthesis in the lung, as reflected by elevated levels of procollagen III in pulmonary edema fluid, begins within the first 24 h of acute lung injury concurrent with the acute phase of increased endothelial and epithelial permeability to protein. This evidence suggests that fibrosing alveolitis begins much earlier in the course of clinical acute lung injury than has previously been appreciated. In addition, the presence of an elevated level of procollagen III is an early predictor of poor outcome. Thus, elevation of procollagen III in pulmonary edema fluid may have both pathogenetic and prognostic significance in patients with acute lung injury.

Background— Better understanding of the precise 3-dimensional geometric changes of the mitral valvular-ventricular complex in chronic ischemic mitral regurgitation (CIMR) is needed in order to devise better surgical repair techniques. We hypothesized that changes after inferior myocardial infarction would be different in hearts that developed CIMR compared with those that did not. Methods and Results— Twenty-four sheep underwent coronary snare and marker placement (annulus, papillary muscles, and anterior and posterior leaflets). After 8 days, cinefluoroscopy provided 3-dimensional marker data, and snare occlusion of obtuse marginal branches created inferior myocardial infarction, including the posterior papillary muscle. After 7 weeks, the 16 surviving animals were studied again and grouped by mitral regurgitation grade (≥ 2+, n=10 versus ≤ 1+, n=6). End-systolic mitral annulus dimensions, components of papillary muscle and leaflet displacement, were calculated. After inferior myocardial infarction, total displacement of the posterior papillary muscle from the midseptal annulus (“saddle horn”) was greater in CIMR(+) animals: 6.5±3.2 versus 3.1±2.7 ( P =0.02), with the posterior papillary muscle moving more laterally (6.8±3.4 versus 2.5±3.5 mm, P =0.01). Increase in mitral annular septal-lateral diameter was greater in animals with CIMR (4.9±2.7 versus 2.3±2.0, P =0.02), and apical displacement of the posterior leaflet (PL) margin was also greater in the CIMR(+) group (1.7±1.0 versus 0.3±0.5, P =0.01). Conclusions— The CIMR(+) group had greater septal-lateral annular dilatation, lateral posterior papillary muscle displacement, and apical PL restriction, indicating that these associated geometric alterations may be important in the pathogenesis of CIMR. Treatment of CIMR should address both annular septal-lateral dilatation and lateral displacement of the posterior papillary muscle.

Performance of combined HKTx is increasing out of proportion to isolated HTx. eGFR is an important determinant of improved HTx survival. Combined HKTx recovers post-transplant survival in patients with eGFR <37 mL/minute and can be recommended in this subgroup.