Photo Credit: Spectral-Design

The following is a summary of “MUC5AC concentrations in lung lavage fluids are associated with acute lung injury after cardiac surgery,” published in the March 2024 issue of Pulmonology by Paassen et al.

Heart surgery poses the risk of complications such as acute lung injury and adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), conditions where heightened expression and release of mucins MUC5AC and MUC5B in the lungs have been noted. The study aimed to explore the perioperative dynamics of MUC5AC, MUC5B, and other biomarkers in mini-bronchoalveolar lavage (minBAL) and assess their correlation with clinical outcomes post-cardiac surgery. 

Conducted as a prospective cohort study involving 49 adult cardiac surgery patients, the researchers analyzed pre- and post-surgery non-fiberscopic miniBAL fluids for MUC5AC, MUC5B, IL-8, human neutrophil elastase, and neutrophils. Following surgery, all measured biomarkers exhibited an increase. Notably, perioperative changes in MUC5AC showed a significant negative correlation with postoperative P/F ratio (p = 0.018) and a positive correlation with ICU stay (p = 0.027). 

In summary, the findings suggest that the emergence of lung injury post-cardiac surgery and prolonged ICU stay are linked to an early rise in MUC5AC levels, as detected in mini-BAL samples.

Source: respiratory-research.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12931-024-02747-9