Milk Inhalation Pneumonia the Significance of Fat Filled Macrophages in Tracheal Secretions

It has been demonstrated experimentally that if milk is introduced into the airways of rabbits, the fat is rapidly taken up by macrophages, and these cells can be easily identified in the inflammatory exudate in the airways. Eighteen of 23 infants with inhalation pneumonia had significant numbers of fat filled macrophages and free fat globules in their tracheal secretions. In 24 control infants with respiratory disorders, no fat filled macrophages or fat globules were seen. It is concluded that the presence of significant numbers of these cells and fat globules is valuable confirmatory evidence of aspiration of milk, but their absence does not exclude the diagnosis.