DEFINITION AND ETIOLOGY

Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) develops rapidly and includes severe dyspnea, diffuse pulmonary infiltrates, and hypoxemia; it typically causes respiratory failure. Key diagnostic criteria for ARDS include (1) diffuse bilateral pulmonary infiltrates on CXR; (2) PaO₂ (arterial partial pressure of oxygen in mmHg)/FIO₂ (inspired O₂ fraction) ≤300 mmHg; (3) absence of elevated left atrial pressure; and (4) acute onset within 1 week of a clinical insult or new or worsening respiratory symptoms. Although many medical and surgical conditions can cause ARDS, most cases (>80%) result from sepsis, pneumonia, trauma, multiple blood transfusions, gastric acid aspiration, and drug overdose. Individuals with more than one predisposing factor have a greater risk of developing ARDS. Other risk factors include older age, chronic alcohol abuse, metabolic acidosis, pancreatitis, and overall severity of critical illness.