Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS)

What is acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS)?

Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a serious injury to the lungs. There is damage to the tiny air sacs (alveoli) and small blood vessels in the lungs. The damage prevents the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide between the lungs and the blood. This means that there is less oxygen in the blood and various parts of the body do not get enough oxygen to work properly.

How does it occur?

No one is sure about exactly what triggers ARDS, but there are a number of events that can cause it, such as:

• drug overdose
• bacterial infection in the blood (sepsis)
• pneumonia
• aspiration, which can happen if you breathe in the contents of your stomach
• near drowning
• breathing in poisons
• multiple blood transfusions
• severe trauma (injury).

ARDS usually develops very quickly--within 12 to 48 hours after the event that caused it.

What are the symptoms?

Symptoms of ARDS may include:

• faster breathing rate
• severe trouble breathing
• agitation
• faster heart rate.

How is it diagnosed?

Your healthcare provider will ask about your symptoms and examine you. You will have a chest x-ray and a blood test called an arterial blood gas (ABG) test.

How is it treated?

ARDS is treated in the intensive care unit of the hospital. The treatment may include the following:

• finding and treating the problem that seems to have caused the ARD
• helping your breathing with a mechanical respirator and oxygen
• intravenous (IV) fluids
• close monitoring to make sure that fluid is not collecting in the lungs
• medicines, such as antibiotics to treat infection, anti-inflammatory medicines, diuretics, anti-anxiety drugs, and inhaled medicines to open up the airway.

How long will the effects last?

ARDS is often fatal. People who do survive it may have normal lung function again in 6 to 12 months. Survivors of more serious cases may have permanent pulmonary fibrosis. Pulmonary fibrosis is an illness in which the air sacs of the lungs become inflamed and are gradually replaced by scar tissue. The illness causes long-term breathing problems.

How can I help prevent ARDS?

ARDS can be hard to prevent because it can be caused by a variety of things. However, the risk of aspiration, one of the causes of ARDS, can be reduced by raising the head of the hospital beds.