Rabbit Models of Pneumonia, Peritoneal Sepsis, and Lung Injury

The Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) is a form of lung injury characterized by the rapid onset of severe hypoxemia and diffuse pulmonary infiltrates, with normal cardiac filling pressures (1 ). The pathology of ARDS includes striking injury to the alveolar epithelium, and the accumulation of neutrophils (PMN), protein, and fibrin-rich exudates in the alveolar spaces of the lungs (2 ). In addition there is evidence of pulmonary microvascular injury, with intravascular microthrombi and endothelial damage (3 ). Sepsis and trauma are the two major clinical risk factors that precede ARDS, and account for about two-thirds of the cases in major centers (4 ). ARDS also occurs following aspiration of gastric contents, mixed drug overdoses, fresh and salt-water drowning, and other less common clinical events.