Significance of vascular endothelium growth factor testing in exhaled breath condensate of patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to observe and investigate the clinical significance of vascular endothelium growth factor (VEGF) levels in exhaled breath condensate (EBC) from patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). METHODS: An improved EcoScreen condenser was used to collect EBC from 31 ARDS patients on mechanical ventilation and from 22 healthy subjects. Serum and EBC VEGF levels were analyzed with ELISA. VEGF levels in the EBC of patients with different grades of lung injuries were analyzed. The correlation between VEGF levels and clinical indicators was analyzed. RESULTS: Serum and EBC VEGF levels were linearly and positively correlated with a correlation coefficient of 0.694 ([Formula: see text] 0.01). The VEGF level in the EBC of ARDS patients was significantly lower than that in the control group ([Formula: see text] 0.01). The VEGF level in the EBC of the mild ARDS group was higher than that in the moderate-severe ARDS group ([Formula: see text] 0.01). The VEGF level in the EBC of the survival group was higher than that in the mortality group. The VEGF level in the EBC of ARDS patients was positively correlated with PaO [Formula: see text] /FiO [Formula: see text] and PaO [Formula: see text] and was negatively correlated with lung injury score (LIS) and A-aDO [Formula: see text] /PaO [Formula: see text]. CONCLUSION: The changes in VEGF levels in the EBC of ARDS patients can Respiratory Medicine, reflect the severity of lung injury. Therefore, VEGF level in EBC can be used as an auxiliary index for judging the severity and prognosis of ARDS patients.