In this Article

• What is ARDS?
• How do the lungs work?
• What are other names for ARDS?
• What causes ARDS?
• Who is at risk for ARDS?
• What are the signs and symptoms of ARDS?
• How is ARDS diagnosed?
• How is ARDS treated?
• Recovering from ARDS
• What are the complications of ARDS?
• Information for family and friends
• Key Points About ARDS
• ARDS Glossary
• ARDS Index

Key Points

• Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is breathing failure that can occur in critically ill persons with underlying illnesses. It is a life-threatening condition that occurs when there is severe fluid buildup in both lungs.

• At one time, only about 4 of 10 people who developed ARDS survived. But today, with good care in a hospital's intensive or critical care unit, about 7 of 10 people who develop ARDS survive.

• The cause of ARDS is not well known. It can occur in many situations and in persons with or without a lung disease. Lung injury leading to ARDS can occur through a direct injury to the lungs, or indirectly when a person is very sick or has a serious bodily injury.

• ARDS usually affects people who are being treated for another serious illness or those who have had major injuries. It affects about 150,000 people each year in the United States.

• The major signs and symptoms of ARDS are rapid onset; shortness of breath; fast, labored breathing; high blood pressure in the pulmonary arteries; a bluish skin color (due to a low level of oxygen in the blood); and a low amount of oxygen in the blood.

• Doctors diagnose ARDS when:

• A person suffering from severe infection or injury develops breathing problems.

• A chest x ray shows fluid in the air sacs of both lungs.

• Blood tests show a low level of oxygen in the blood.

• Other conditions that could cause breathing problems have been ruled out.

• Patients with ARDS are usually treated in the intensive or critical care unit of a hospital. The main treatment is giving extra oxygen to raise the amount of oxygen breathed in above that of normal air so that the oxygen blood levels are safe. This can sometimes be done with a face mask, but often a breathing machine is needed.

• Some people who survive ARDS heal quickly and recover completely in a relatively short time. Others recover more slowly, and some never recover completely. About one in three individuals who suffer from ARDS will die.

• Anyone in the hospital for a long time can get complications. Common complications in ARDS patients are infections from bacteria picked up in the hospital and air leaks into other body spaces.

• Although you may feel very helpless, there are things family members and friends can do to help someone with ARDS.

Source: National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health

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