Acute respiratory distress syndrome: an overview

Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) is a fulminant form of respiratory failure which has diverse aetiology. Although the pathophysiology of the disease is understood in some depth today, much is still elusive and, despite technological advances in intensive care medicine, mortality rates remain high. This article focuses on the key areas of: the inflammatory processes in ARDS, the altered pulmonary physiology, and finally the outcomes, treatments and the need for future research. A knowledge of these aspects is useful to intensive care nurses.