Early nonbronchoscopic bronchoalveolar lavage: predictor of ventilator-associated pneumonia?
Positive screening-BAL results in trauma and emergency general surgery patients are associated with the development of ventilator-associated pneumonia by the same organism and may play a role in identifying patients at risk for pneumonia. Further studies must be conducted to evaluate the role of screening-BAL in this patient population.
These results show that absolute iron deficiency can occur in patients who are not receiving dialysis and that there is an abnormal distribution of zinc levels in these patients. Moreover, a possible relationship between iron deficiency and zinc distribution was observed.