Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome Essay

Acute respiratory distress syndrome is a life-threatening condition. More than 150,000 cases are diagnosed each year in the United States. Acute respiratory distress syndrome or ARDS for short is characterized by the rapid onset of severe dyspnea and hypoxemia. Some other symptoms the patient may be displaying are shortness of breath, tachypnea, hypotension, wheezing, fatigue, sweating and cyanosis. ARDS can be caused by a variety of illnesses and traumatic injuries. Sepsis, bacterial pneumonia, aspiration pneumonia and trauma account for more than 70% of adult cases. Initially, this syndrome was termed adult respiratory distress syndrome but was later recognized that the syndrome can also occur in children and was renamed, this differences …show more content…
In the acute phase, rapid deterioration take place and within the first 72 hours, and pulmonary edema begins to develop. Daily radiographs of the chest are taken for diagnosis as well as comparison. There are two types of pleural effusion: exudative and transudative. Ultrasound can also be a helpful modality in diagnosing these types of pleural effusions. During the intermediate phase, there is usually a plateau. Most patients, who die due to acute respiratory distress syndrome, die during this phase. In the final phase, the abnormalities seen on a radiograph begin to resolve. This is usually within 7-10 …show more content…
“A primary goal in treating ARDS is providing the patient with enough oxygen to prevent organ failure” (Gibbons, 429). Some patients will be placed on mechanical ventilation to help them breathe, but as lifesaving as this is, it can also be harmful to the patient. If the ventilation pressures are too high this can damage the lung, worsening the condition. Despite the advances in technology there is still a high mortality rate of approximately 40%. Increased mortality rates are linked to patients of advanced age, those with chronic liver disease and