Relationship between activity of neutrophil elastase and severity and prognosis of acute lung injury/acute respiratory distress syndrome / 中国医师进修杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To investigate the neutrophil elastase (NE) in patients with acute lung injury (ALI)/acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS).Methods Thirty-six patients of ALI/ARDS and 16 healthy volunteers(control group)were involved in the study.The patients of ALI/ARDS were divided into three groupsgroup A (the oxygenation index was 201-300 mm Hg,1 mm Hg=0.133 kPa),group B (150-200 mm Hg),and group C (<150 mm Hg).The NE in serum and bronchoalveolar Lavage fluid (BALF) were measured.Results The NE in the serum and BALF in group A [(1.76±0.63)nmol/L and (1.67±0.59)nmol/L],group B [(3.26±0.51)nmol/L and (3.64±0.56)nmol/L] and group C [(4.56 ±0.68)nmol/L and (4.62±0.39)nmol/L] were much higher than that in control group [(0.67±0.54)nmol/L and (0.62±0.48)nmol/L].The NE in the serum and BALF of dead patients were higher than that in patients who were alive.Moreover,the NE in the patients of ALI/ARDS was inversely related to the oxygenation index (r=-0.901,P＜0.01). Conclusion The NE in patients of ALI/ARDS is higher than that in healthy people,and it is significantly related to the severity and the prognosis of ALI/ARDS.