A method is described by which tissue samples from postmortem human lungs may be
adequately fixed for electron microscopy. An electron microscopy and morphometry study of
lungs of patients dying of adult respiratory distress syndrome revealed that the alveolar
epithelium was transformed to a vastly cuboidal epithelium irrespective of the inspired
oxygen concentration, which in several cases did not exceed 40 percent. This constant
change in alveolar epithelium, resulting in a consistent overall thickening of the epithelial …