Airway IgA: Respiratory Tract IgA Levels in Critically Ill Intubated Patients

This study will examine the impact of acute illness on sequential airway IgA levels in
intensive care patients who will require prolonged intubation. Infections are the most
common cause of late deaths in non-head injured trauma patients and a frequent cause of
morbidity and mortality in hospitalized patients, especially intubated Intensive Care Unit
(ICU) patients. Nosocomial pneumonia is the most common of these infections, and its
incidence in defined populations of critically injured patients is responsive to route and
type of nutrition. This study will focus on the mechanisms of specific immune mucosal
defenses in intestinal and extraintestinal sites and link enteral feeding (or lack of it)
with maintenance (or deterioration) of respiratory mucosal defenses.