Plasma receptor for advanced glycation end-products predicts duration of ICU stay and mechanical ventilation in patients after lung transplantation.

Background: Primary graft dysfunction, formerly termed reperfusion pulmonary edema, is the leading cause of short-term complications after lung transplantation. New evidence shows that alveolar type I epithelial cells play an active role in alveolar fluid transport and are therefore presumed to be critical in the absorption of pulmonary edema. We tested the potential relevance of a novel marker of alveolar type I cell injury, the receptor for advanced glycation end-products (RAGE), to short-term outcomes of lung transplantation.

Predictors of long-term mortality in patients with ventilator-associated pneumonia.

Purpose: To determine the long-term outcome of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) and identify factors associated with increased mortality.

Methods: We retrospectively studied 671 patients with VAP admitted to an intensive care unit between 1994 and 2000. We determined long-term and out-of-hospital mortality for these patients.