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Introduction: Acute lung injury (ALI)/acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is characterized by features other than increased pulmonary vascular permeability. Pulmonary vascular permeability combined with increased extravascular lung water content has been considered a quantitative diagnostic criterion of ALI/ARDS. This prospective, multi-institutional, observational study aimed to clarify the clinical pathophysiological features of ALI/ARDS and establish its quantitative diagnostic criteria., Methods: The extravascular lung water index (EVLWI) and the pulmonary vascular permeability index (PVPI) were measured using the transpulmonary thermodilution method in 266 patients with PaO2/FiO2 ratio ≤ 300 mmHg and bilateral infiltration on chest radiography, in 23 ICUs of academic tertiary referral hospitals. Pulmonary edema was defined as EVLWI ≥ 10 ml/kg. Three experts retrospectively determined the pathophysiological features of respiratory insufficiency by considering the patients' history, clinical presentation, chest computed tomography and radiography, echocardiography, EVLWI and brain natriuretic peptide level, and the time course of all preceding findings under systemic and respiratory therapy., Results: Patients were divided into the following three categories on the basis of the pathophysiological diagnostic differentiation of respiratory insufficiency: ALI/ARDS, cardiogenic edema, and pleural effusion with atelectasis, which were noted in 207 patients, 26 patients, and 33 patients, respectively. EVLWI was greater in ALI/ARDS and cardiogenic edema patients than in patients with pleural effusion with atelectasis (18.5 ± 6.8, 14.4 ± 4.0, and 8.3 ± 2.1, respectively; P < 0.01). PVPI was higher in ALI/ARDS patients than in cardiogenic edema or pleural effusion with atelectasis patients (3.2 ± 1.4, 2.0 ± 0.8, and 1.6 ± 0.5; P < 0.01). In ALI/ARDS patients, EVLWI increased with increasing pulmonary vascular permeability (r = 0.729, P < 0.01) and was weakly correlated with intrathoracic blood volume (r = 0.236, P < 0.01). EVLWI was weakly correlated with the PaO2/FiO2 ratio in the ALI/ARDS and cardiogenic edema patients. A PVPI value of 2.6 to 2.85 provided a definitive diagnosis of ALI/ARDS (specificity, 0.90 to 0.95), and a value < 1.7 ruled out an ALI/ARDS diagnosis (specificity, 0.95)., Conclusion: PVPI may be a useful quantitative diagnostic tool for ARDS in patients with hypoxemic respiratory failure and radiographic infiltrates., Trial Registration: UMIN-CTR ID UMIN000003627.

Purpose: Atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) has a variety of pharmacologic effects, including natriuresis, diuresis, vasodilatation, and suppression of the reninangiotensin system. A recent study showed that ANP infusion improved hypoxemia and pulmonary hypertension in a lung injury model. On the other hand, the pulse contour cardiac output (PiCCO(TM)) system (Pulsion Medical Systems, Munich, Germany) allows monitoring of the intravascular volume status and may be used to guide volume therapy in severe sepsis and critically ill patients., Materials and Methods: We treated 10 pulmonary edema patients without heart disease with human ANP (HANP). The patients were divided into two groups: a group with normal Intrathoracic Blood Volume (ITBV) (900-1100 mL/m(2)) (n = 6), and a group with abnormal ITBV (n = 4), as measured by the PiCCO(TM) device; the extravascular lung water (EVLW) and pulmonary vascular permeability index (PVPI) in the two groups were compared., Results: The average patient age was 63.9 +/- 14.4 years. The normal ITBV group showed significant improvement of the EVLW (before, 16.7 +/- 2.7 mL/kg; after, 10.5 +/- 3.6 mL/kg; p = 0.0020) and PVPI (before, 3.2 +/- 0.3; after, 2.1 +/- 0.7; p = 0.0214) after the treatment. The abnormal ITBV group showed no significant improvement of either the EVLW (before, 16.3 +/- 8.9 mL/kg; after, 18.8 +/- 9.6 mL/kg; p = 0.8387) or PVPI (before, 2.3 +/- 0.8; after, 2.7 +/- 1.3; p = 0.2782) after the treatment. In both groups, the EVLW and PVPI were strongly correlated with the chest X-ray findings., Conclusion: We conclude that HANP supplementation may improve the EVLW and PVPI in pulmonary edema patients without heart disease with a normal ITBV. The PiCCO(TM) system seems to be a useful device for the management of pulmonary edema.