Acute Respiratory Distress SYndrome
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Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome
What is ARDS?
Acute (Adult) Respiratory Distress Syndrome is a critical and sometimes fatal condition in which the lungs become inflamed and fluid accumulates in the alveoli, where gas exchange actually occurs. Blood oxygen levels are low because the oxygen cannot diffuse through the alveolar membrane and into the blood. The buildup up fluid in the alveoli makes the lungs heavy and infringes upon their ability to expand sufficiently. The patient can also experience failure of other organs like the liver or kidneys because of the severe hypoxia caused by ARDS. Alternate names include Increased-Permeability Pulmonary Edema, Non-Cardiogenic Pulmonary Edema, Shock Lung, and Stiff Lung.(1). Common causes include both direct lung injury, such as inhaling toxic fumes, and indirect lung injury such as systemic infection or pancreitis. The condition has three phases: exudative, fibroproliferative, and fibrosis. The exudative phase shows ingest to the epithelium and endothelium, inflammation, and fluid exudation...