[Incidence, severity and mortality of acute respiratory failure in Denmark]

To determine the incidence, severity and 90-day mortality of acute respiratory failure (ARF), acute lung injury (ALI) and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) we conducted an eight-week prospective cohort study in 48 Danish ICUs, during which all ICU admissions (n = 6647) > 14 years of age were assessed. ARF was defined as intubation and mechanical ventilation > 24 hrs. ALI and ARDS were defined in accordance with the American-European Consensus Conference criteria. Among the 813 patients included, 552 were diagnosed with ARF, 117 with ALI and 95 with ARDS. The incidences (patients per 100.000/yrs) for ARF were 84.8, for ALI 17.8 and for ARDS 14.6. The 90-day mortality was 46.3% for ARF patients without ALI/ARDS, 47.3% for ALI patients and 46.2% for patients with ARDS. Compared to previously reported figures, the ARDS mortality is in the lower range whereas the incidence is slightly higher. This probably reflects a broader selection of patients when using the consensus criteria to define the ARDS population as opposed to definitions previously used.