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. 2017 Oct;17(5):439-443.
doi: 10.7861/clinmedicine.17-5-439.

Acute respiratory distress syndrome

Christopher Mason  1 , Nessa Dooley  2 , Mark Griffiths  3
Affiliations

Acute respiratory distress syndrome

Christopher Mason et al. Clin Med (Lond). 2017 Oct.

Abstract

Acute respiratory distress syndrome is a common cause of acute respiratory failure that is underdiagnosed both inside and outside of intensive care units. Progression to the most severe forms of the syndrome confers a mortality rate greater than 40% and is associated with often severe functional disability and psychological sequelae in survivors. While there are no disease-modifying pharmacotherapies for the syndrome, this progression may be prevented through the institution of quality improvement measures that minimise iatrogenic injury associated with acute severe illness.

Keywords: ARDS; Acute respiratory distress syndrome; acute respiratory failure; critical illness; ventilator-associated lung injury.

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Figures

Fig 1.
Fig 1.
The evolution of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). The aetiology of the syndrome depends on one or more initiating factors that may affect the lung directly or via the ­circulation. These interact with patient-specific modulators (blue) and iatrogenic factors (red). The sum of a variety of pathological mechanisms manifests as ARDS. ALI = aculte lung injury; TRALI = acute lung injury ­associated with the transfusion of blood products; VALI = ventilator-­associated lung injury
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