Objectives To review: a) the role of extravascular fibrin deposition in the pathogenesis of
acute lung injury; b) the abnormalities in the coagulation and fibrinolysis pathways that
promote fibrin deposition in the acutely injured lung; and c) the pathways that contribute to
the regulation of the fibrinolytic system via the lung epithelium, including newly recognized
posttranscriptional and urokinase-dependent pathways. Another objective was to determine
how novel anticoagulant or fibrinolytic strategies may be used to protect against acute …