Current trends in the management of acute respiratory distress syndrome

Abstract

Increased survival in patients with the acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) has been reported recently. This favorable trend may be partly owing to improved understanding of the pathogenesis of ARDS and awareness that iatrogenic factors may alter the evolution of the pulmonary processes of inflammation and permeability that characterize the syndrome. This recognition has led to important recent work in which changes in ventilatory strategy, patient positioning, and the use of inhaled pulmonary vasodilator agents have been investigated with respect to outcome as well as immediate physiologic effect.