This document discusses acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Key points include:
- ARDS occurs in 1-4% of PICU admissions and has a mortality rate varying between 20-75%.
- It is defined by acute onset pulmonary edema, hypoxemia, and absence of heart failure. Severity is classified by PaO2/FiO2 ratio.
- Causes include direct lung injury from pneumonia/aspiration or indirect injury from sepsis/trauma.
- Management focuses on mechanical ventilation with low tidal volumes, permissive hypercapnia and optimal PEEP to reduce lung injury while improving oxygenation. Prognosis depends on severity of hypoxemia and underlying cause.