The goal of this study was to investigate the extent of the alveolar-capillary membrane porosity in patients with severe re-expansion pulmonary oedema. The biochemistry of airway fluid of two patients who died of re-expansion oedema was compared to their blood biochemistry. The airway fluid was comparable to plasma, while no blood cells were observed across the alveolar-capillary membrane. The membrane was linked to a fishnet that traps cells on one side, while plasma sieved through.
Keywords: Pleural effusion; Re-expansion pulmonary oedema.
© The Author(s) 2021. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery.