[Morphofunctional characteristics of acute respiratory failure in closed chest injury]

The results of experimental reproduction in dogs of some components of closed thoracic injury: traumatic injuries of the lungs and disturbed carcass of the thorax which led to the development of acute respiratory insufficiency are presented. Morphological manifestations of the latter consisted in hemorrhages of various sizes and atelectasis, as well as marked hemodynamic disorders developing, according to electron microscopy, at the level of aerohematic barrier. The concurrent arterial hypoxemia facilitated the development of hypoxic lesions in the myocardium. These studies demonstrated that myocardial lesions may aggravate the severity of respiratory insufficiency.