[COVID-19-related respiratory distress in emergency departments: reality and perspectives.]

COVID-19 was initially considered exclusively as a respiratory disease. It now appears that it is also a systemic disease with vascular inflammation and thromboses. In the most severe forms, these plurifactorial pulmonary lesions are responsible for acute respiratory distress syndrome. The treatment of this syndrome, which causes hypoxemia, requires urgent oxygen therapy. While initial recommendations favoured the rapid use of intubation and mechanical ventilation, experience seems to confirm that it must be delayed as long as possible, in favour of non-invasive ventilation, less aggressive for the patient.