Measurement of pulmonary edema in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome

Abstract

Objective: We measured pulmonary edema by thermal indocyanine green-dye double-dilution technique and quantitative computed tomography (CT) in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome and compared the two techniques. Design and Setting: Prospective human study in a university hospital. Patients: Fourteen mechanically ventilated patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (nine primary; nine with intubation <7 days). Interventions: All patients underwent a spiral CT of the thorax. We measured pulmonary thermal volume (PTV) and its components, extravascular lung water and pulmonary blood volume, with an integrated fiberoptic monitoring system (COLD Z-021). Measurements and Results: PTV was tightly correlated with lung weight (LW) measured by CT (PTV = 0.6875 * LWCT + 292.77; correlation coefficient = 0.91; p