Pulmonary Ultrastructural Changes in Sepsis.

Sepsis and septic shock are associated with lung injury and Adult Respiratory Distress Syndrome, but the pulmonary ultrastructural changes seen in this setting have not been well described. In the following study, thirty rats were subjected to lethal endogenous septicemia by the cecal ligation-puncture technique. A similar number of control animals underwent laparatomy without cecal ligation. After 48 hours, five surviving rats, in each group were killed and their lungs studied by electron microscopy including morphometric analysis. the principal findings included diffuse capillary thrombosis hyperactive appearing granular pneumocytes plus free alveolar surfactant increased number of interstitial white blood cells and alveolar macrophages plus decreased number of white blood cells within capillaries. These studies suggest that septic shock produces injury to all compartments of the lung.