Description
Acute lung injury (ALI) refers to a clinical syndrome characterized by bilateral lung injury, severe lung diffuse failure and hypoxemia caused by non-cardiogenic pulmonary edema.Sepsis is the leading etiology of ALI and a common admission to the intensive care unit, which induces pulmonary inflammation leading disruption of endothelial-epithelial barriers by surge release of pro-inflammatory cytokines that increases the permeability of the alveolar-capillary membrane, pulmonary infiltration, and edema.Ultimately, gas exchange across the alveolar-capillary membrane is severely impaired and acute respiratory failure and hypoxia occur. ALI patients may suffer from pulmonary inflammation and hypoxia simultaneously or sequentially, those two pathophysiological processes may interact mutually and contribute together to the development of ALI.