[Outcome for adults with acute respiratory distress syndrome]

Acute respiratory distress syndrome in adults (ARDS) is a relatively frequent disease, the mortality of which has diminished considerably in recent years. The long-term outcome of patients who have survived ARDS has been studied extensively and should in the future be taken into account in assessing new treatment modalities. The long-term respiratory sequelae are generally minimal and moderately disabling. Secondary deterioration of respiratory function is not part of the natural history of ARDS and should suggest other diagnoses. The various studies find a clear diminution in quality of life after ARDS (compared with the general population), essentially related to neuromuscular deficiencies associated with the neuromyopathies of resuscitation or to neuropsychological damage combining cognitive disorders and symptoms of posttraumatic stress. These symptoms are not at all specific to ARDS. They are found in varying degrees in patients who have survived intensive care or resuscitation. Appropriate management for these symptoms remains to be determined. Critical care units must now work at preventing the onset of these disorders, by limiting the treatments at risk when possible and by identifying these disorders before discharge to prepare for optimal subsequent management. Patients with ARDS are only a subgroup of more severe illness among all patients in critical care departments.