Evaluation of two exogenous surfactant preparations and delivery methods in an adult model of acute lung injury. Lewis, Jim F, John Goffin, Paul Yue, Lynda A McCaig, Dave Bjarneson, Ruud Aw Veldhuizen. Department of Medicine, Lawson Research Institute, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada N6A 4V2
APStracts 2:0511A, 1995.
Two exogenous surfactant preparations (Survanta_ and Bovine Lipid Extract Surfactant, (BLES_)) were evaluated in saline lavage-injured adult sheep using two different delivery methods (instillation versus aerosolization). Instilled BLES resulted in the greatest improvement in lung function followed by aerosolized Survanta and instilled Survanta. Aerosolized BLES was ineffective. Total surfactant recovery and distribution patterns were similar for Survanta and BLES for each delivery method tested. There were significant differences, however, in the proportion of surfactant recovered in the alveolar wash relative to lung tissue between the groups at sacrifice. Moreover, the ratio of poorly functioning small surfactant aggregates to superior functioning large aggregates isolated from alveolar wash samples correlated with the physiologic responses. The calculated contribution of secreted endogenous surfactant to the total alveolar phospholipid pool at sacrifice was significantly greater for the aerosolized Survanta group compared to the aerosolized BLES group. This finding suggested that there were differences in the interaction of the exogenous surfactants and their alveolar environments. We conclude that the response to exogenous surfactant in acute lung injury depends not only on the preparation used, but also on how the surfactants are delivered to the injured lung.

Received 6 July 1995; accepted in final form 13 November 1995.
APS Manuscript Number A720-5.
Article publication pending Journal of Applied Physiology.
ISSN 1080-4757 Copyright 1995 The American Physiological Society.
Published in APStracts on 8 December 95