DETAILING LUNG CELL MORPHOLOGY IN SEPTIC PATIENTS WITH ACUTE RESPIRATORY DISTRESS SYNDROME

Abstract

With the rise of new bacterial and viral strains, curtailing invasive blood infections has become a race against the clock for hospitalized patients every day. Sepsis begins as an infection in the bloodstream. The body’s immune-mediated response begins the release of cytokines targeting the pathogen. Activation of the immune system interrupts the integrity of epithelial structures in the alveoli. Without the early intervention of antibiotics, the conditions of septic patients can progress into Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS), jeopardizing their survival rate. Today's challenge is determining how early sepsis can be diagnosed and what changes occur in lung cells to exacerbate respiratory distress. No treatment can cure ARDS, but a combination of therapies, like mechanical ventilation and induced comas, can assist in the healing process of the lungs.