Surfactant Function in Adult Respiratory Distress Syndrome*

W e have reported previously on abnormalities of human surf actant in a lung from a patient with the adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) following trauma and shock.’ The lung with ARDS was compared to three normal lungs obtained from transplant donors. An abnormal static pressure-volume curve indicated reduced compliance and abnormally high surfactant film compressibility was found, but the minimum surface tension of material obtained by bronchoalveolar lavage was within the normal range. Since that report was published, we have had the opportunity to study five additional specimens from patients with ARDS following a variety of different catastrophic events resulting in ARDS. The specti-urn of abnormalities of surfactant function from these lungs compared to normal or nearly normal lungs without ARDS is the subject of this report.