The acute respiratory distress syndrome: current trends in pathogenesis and management

Management of patients in ARD remains a complex diagnostic and difficult therapeutic problem. Although the authors have focused on several new and exciting management strategies, it is important to recognize that the vast majority of patients with ARDS simply require meticulous general medical care. In this era of invasive monitoring and other care. In this era of invasive monitoring and other complex technologies, there is sometimes a tendency to neglect the basic issues such as judicious use of antibiotics to avoid superinfection with resistant organisms or antibiotic-associated diarrhea; removal of unnecessary intravenous lines to minimize line related infections; and maintenance of adequate nutrition to promote good skin and mucosal integrity as well as preserving important muscle mass all too often receive a low priority. It is anticipated that with meticulous general medical care, as well as selective implementation of the above treatment strategies, improvement in the outcome of patients is an achievable goal.