Lipid peroxidation and alpha-tocopherol during an acute respiratory failure after near drowning.

We compare two patients admitted after near drowning. Both presented a severe metabolic acidosis, but only one of them developed an acute pulmonary edema with hypoxemia. An increase of lipid peroxides associated with a reduction of vitamin E concentration has been observed in this later patient. Lipid peroxidation, one of the important causes of disruption of cellular membranes after some injuries, could be implicated in the pathogenesis of lung edema in this patient.