RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Golden Tracheal Secretions and Bronchoalveolar Fluid During Acute Chest Syndrome in Sickle Cell Disease
JF Respiratory Care
FD American Association for Respiratory Care
SP e73
OP e75
DO 10.4187/respcare.03517
VO 60
IS 4
A1 Damien Contou
A1 Armand Mekontso Dessap
A1 Guillaume Carteaux
A1 Christian Brun-Buisson
A1 Bernard Maitre
A1 Nicolas de Prost
YR 2015
UL http://rc.rcjournal.com/content/60/4/e73.abstract
AB Acute chest syndrome (ACS) is the leading cause of ICU admission in patients with sickle cell disease and is characterized by golden sputum, which is commonly attributed to the presence of bilirubin. Three young consecutive patients with homozygous sickle cell disease were admitted for severe acute respiratory syndrome due to ACS. In all 3 patients, tracheal secretions and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) showed a yellowish plasma-like stain. After normalization for the plasma-to-BAL urea ratio, BALF protein and lactate dehydrogenase levels were consistent with an exudative process. BALF bilirubin concentrations were very low, implying that the yellowish stain was not related to bilirubin content. The yellowish coloration of tracheal secretions and BALF observed during ACS appears to be related to an intense exudative process rather than to the presence of bilirubin.