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.
No one is sure about exactly what triggers ARDS, but it usually happens when you are already seriously ill or severely injured. Examples of conditions that can cause it include:
ARDS usually develops very quickly—within 12 to 48 hours after the event that caused it.
Early symptoms of ARDS may include:
You may stop breathing and need a ventilator, also called a mechanical respirator, to help you breathe.
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.
ARDS is treated in the intensive care unit of the hospital. The treatment may include the following:
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.
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.
