Medical Management of patients with ARDS

Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is characterized by the development of unforeseen breathlessness within hours to days of an inciting indeed. Survivors of ARDS may recover normal lung function. Still, some of them may have residual lung impairment or patient muscle weakness. Generally,...

• ARDS is a clinical syndrome, not a disease, defined by acute onset respiratory failure within seven days, a PaO2/FiO2 ratio less than 300, ruling out cardiac failure or fluid overload, and bilateral opacities on chest imaging. The Berlin definition classifies ARDS into mild, moderate, and severe based on the PaO2/FiO2 ratio. Limitations include the impact of PEEP settings, FiO2 accuracy, and timing of measurements post-setting changes.