Bilateral lavage with diluted surfactant improves lung function after unilateral lung contusion in pigs

OBJECTIVE: This study evaluates the effects of bronchoalveolar lavage with diluted surfactant on unilateral lung contusion-induced lung dysfunction. DESIGN: Randomized prospective animal study. SETTING: An animal laboratory. SUBJECTS: Twenty adult pigs, weighing 25-35 kg. INTERVENTIONS: Animals were randomly assigned to controls and surfactant treatment. Bilateral lavage with surfactant treatment began 30 mins after unilateral lung contusion. Then 25 mg/kg of body weight diluted Curosurf (5 mg/mL) was applied in a volume of 5 mL/kg of body weight. Observation time was 8 hrs postinjury. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: The Pao2/Fio2 ratio fell from 500 to 250 and then recovered gradually in controls and surfactant-treated pigs. After another 4 hrs, the Pao2/Fio2 ratio deteriorated again in controls, but not in surfactant-treated animals. Total compliance fell by 50% after injury but was completely restored by surfactant treatment. Lung contusion increased the median number of neutrophils in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid from 2% to 30% of total cells and peaked >60% at 480 mins in the contused lungs of control pigs. Surfactant-treated pigs had 40% neutrophils at 480 mins without reaching significant difference to controls. The leukocyte neutral proteinase inhibitor increased to 500 ng/mL at 30 mins postinjury in the contused lungs and increased to 2000 ng/mL after surfactant treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Bilateral bronchoalveolar lavage with diluted surfactant can effectively improve lung function after experimental unilateral lung contusion in pigs.