Normal phosphatidylcholine composition of lung surfactant 24 hours after inhalation injury.

The effects of cotton smoke injury on the phosphatidylcholine composition of pulmonary surfactant material were studied. While under halothane anesthesia, 18 ewes were intubated using a double-lumen tube. In six sheep the left lung was exposed to smoke; in another six sheep the right lung was exposed to smoke. A sham group of six sheep was insufflated with air instead of smoke. Twenty-four hours later the animals were killed, and alveolar lavage fluid was obtained from both lungs. Phospholipid material was separated, and its relative phosphatidylcholine composition was determined. In the smoke-treated lungs this composition was not different statistically when compared with the contralateral and the sham-exposed lungs. These findings suggested that smoke inhalation has no effect on the composition of the phosphatidylcholine fraction in the alveolar lining layer 24 hours after injury.