Alveolar epithelial fluid transport mechanisms are preserved in the
rewarmed human lung following severe hypothermia.
Sakuma, Tsutomu, Satoshi Suzuki, Katsuo Usuda, Masashi Handa, Gunji
Okaniwa, Tasuku Nakada, Shigefumi Fujimura, and Michael A. Matthay.
Department of Surgery, Sendai Kosei Hospital, Sendai 980, Japan
APStracts 2:0552A, 1995.
Although hypothermia abolishes alveolar fluid clearance in the in situ
goat lung and in the ex vivo human lung, it is unknown whether
alveolar fluid clearance resumes in lungs that are rewarmed following
severe hypothermia. An isosmolar albumin solution was instilled into
resected human lungs that were rewarmed to 37[acute]iC following
hypothermia (7 3[acute]iC), and then alveolar fluid clearance was
measured by the concentration of albumin in the alveolar fluid sample
after 4 hours. In control experiments in lungs that had not been
cooled and rewarmed, alveolar fluid clearance was 11 2% over 4 hours.
In separate experiments, hypothermia completely abolished alveolar
fluid clearance. However, alveolar fluid clearance resumed to a
normal level of 12 1% over 4 hours in the lungs that were rewarmed
following hypothermia. Amiloride decreased alveolar fluid clearance
to by 47% in the rewarmed lungs. Terbutaline increased alveolar fluid
clearance by nearly 300% in 2 hour experiments in the rewarmed lungs
(P<0.05). The results of this study indicate that alveolar
sodium channel transport mechanisms are preserved in resected human
lungs that are exposed to rewarming following hypothermia.
Received 10 October 1995; accepted in final form 6 December 1995.
APS Manuscript Number A1095-5.
Article publication pending Journal of Applied Physiology.
ISSN 1080-4757 Copyright 1995 The American Physiological Society.
Published in APStracts on 23 December 95