Chest ACCP Member Benefits
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


     

Guest Access | Sign In via User Name/Password
This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF) Free
Right arrow Submit a response
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when eLetters are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Article Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Vedrinne, J.
Right arrow Articles by Motin, J
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow Articles by Vedrinne, J.
Right arrow Articles by Motin, J

Chest, Vol 102, 1323-1327, Copyright © 1992 by American College of Chest Physicians

ARTICLES

Bronchoalveolar lavage in trauma patients for diagnosis of fat embolism syndrome

JM Vedrinne, C Guillaume, MC Gagnieu, P Gratadour, C Fleuret and J Motin
Service d'Anesthesie-Reanimation, Hopital Edouard Herriot, Lyon, France.

Fat embolism syndrome (FES) is a rare but serious complication occurring after long bone fractures. Presence of fat droplets in cells obtained by bronchoalveolar lavage has been proposed as a specific tool for FES diagnosis in trauma patients. We evaluated this technique over a 15-month period in 85 patients. Twenty-eight patients were excluded. The remaining 57 patients were divided into three groups: group 1, 26 patients without trauma as control; group 2, 22 patients with trauma but without evidence of FES; and group 3, nine patients with trauma and evidence of FES. Six of 26 patients in group 1 and nine of 22 patients in group 2 exhibited fat droplets in alveolar macrophages, whereas three of nine patients of group 3 had not. This study suggests that (1) presence of fat droplets in alveolar macrophages is not a reliable method for diagnosis of FES after long bone trauma, and (2) many conditions are associated with fat droplets in alveolar macrophages.


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 Ann. Thorac. Surg.Home page
D. A. Waller, M. K. Bennett, P. A. Corris, and J. H. Dark
Donor-Acquired Fat Embolism Causing Primary Organ Failure After Lung Transplantation
Ann. Thorac. Surg., June 1, 1995; 59(6): 1565 - 1566.
[Abstract] [Full Text]


HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
Copyright © 1992 by the American College of Chest Physicians.