Don't miss it as anxiety, ARDS!

Abstract

Acute respiratory distress syndrome(ARDS) is a critical condition which compromises with the respiratory functions.Aim of this study is to present the management of ARDS case in the emergency department. This is a case report of a patient who was admitted to an emergency department.We did not apply any statistical methods. A 41-year-old female patient with no medical history was admitted to the emergency department as an outpatient with complaints of shortness of breath and palpitations. After a physical examination,it was first though that the patient was simply experiencing an anxiety episode.However oxygen saturation was measured as 35 % and further investigation of the patient revealed ARDS as the cause of these symptoms.Patient was admitted to the ICU unit. Even though anxiety can be common,it can be dangerous to dismiss other clinical and potentially lethal pathologies when searching for the cause of respiratory distress.Physical examination and vital signs should be evaluated together to reach a potential diagnosis.