Acute Pulmonary Lesion: Pathogenesis and Morphology

Morphological studies were used to examine the lungs from 92 persons who had died from brain and concomitant injuries and massive blood loss and from 117 experimental animals (rats) in systemic circulatory disorders and vascular thrombosis of the pulmonary microcirculatory bed. The purpose of the study was to assess the nature, intensity, and developmental periods of the morphological signs characterizing acute pulmonary lesion. Disorders of circulation (including microcirculation), damages to bronchial and bronchiolar mucosae, the development of atelectases, dyst-electases, and focal emphysema were found to be early structural changes in injury and massive blood loss. Pulmonary edema and the signs of a systemic inflammatory reactions form within the first hours following injury and massive blood loss. Experimental studies confirm that microcirculatory disorders and individual traits play an important role in the development of acute pulmonary lesion.