ARDS (acute respiratory distress syndrome)

Disease	Injury	Nutrition	Poison

Special Topic	Surgery	Symptoms	Test

Lungs

ARDS (acute respiratory distress syndrome)

Alternative Names:

Non-cardiogenic pulmonary edema; Increased-permeability pulmonary edema; Stiff lung; Shock lung; Adult respiratory distress syndrome; Acute respiratory distress syndrome

Symptoms:

shortness of breath
labored, rapid breathing
low blood pressure or shock (low blood pressure accompanied by organ failure)
often, persons affected by ARDS are so sick, they are unable to complain of symptoms

Signs and tests:

Chest auscultation (examination with a stethoscope) reveals abnormal breath sounds, such as crackles that suggest fluid in the lungs. Often the blood pressure is low. Cyanosis (blue skin, lips, and nails caused by lack of oxygen to the tissues) is frequently seen.

Tests used in the diagnosis of ARDS include:

chest X-ray
arterial blood gas
CBC and blood chemistries
Evaluation for possible infections
Cultures and analysis of sputum specimens
Occasionally an echocardiogram (heart ultrasound) or Swan-Ganz catheterization may need to be done to exclude congestive heart failure which can have a similar chest X-ray appearance to ARDS.

Review Date: 5/16/2002
Reviewed By: Darrell N. Kotton, M.D., Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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