Spinal cord injury modulates the lung inflammatory response in mechanically ventilated rats: a comparative animal study

Mechanical ventilation (MV) is a common procedure for spinal injury patients. MV can induce lung inflammation. This study examines how spinal cord injury (SCI) interacts with MV to affect lung inflammation. The study found that SCI can reduce some of the lung inflammation caused by MV. Specifically, SCI decreased the expression of IL-1b and reduced oxidative stress responses in the lungs of mechanically ventilated rats. These findings suggest that the interplay between MV and SCI is complex and may have implications for how ventilated SCI patients are treated. Treating ventilated SCI patients may amplify pulmonary biotrauma.

• 1
  Mechanical ventilation increased levels of TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6, while decreasing IL-10 in the bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid of rats without spinal cord injury.
• 2
  Cervical spinal cord injury reduced MV-induced pulmonary oxidative stress responses by decreasing isoprostane levels and increasing heme oxygenase-1 levels.
• 3
  Thoracic spinal cord injury in non-ventilated animals increased M-CSF expression and promoted antioxidant pulmonary responses.