Therapeutic strategy for acute respiratory distress syndrome

Abstract

Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS)/acute lung injury (ALI) is defined as an acute-onset, progressive, hypoxic condition with radiographic bilateral lung infiltration, which develops after several diseases or injuries, and was not derived from hydrostatic pulmonary edema. In 2012, in an effort to increase diagnostic specificity, a revised definition of ARDS was published, in which the term “ALI” was no more used. The Japanese Respiratory Society published a secondary version of ALI/ARDS guidelines in 2010, and currently a third version is being prepared. In this short review, I will introduce several topics in therapeutic strategy for ARDS.