Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ards)

[Julian]

Acute respiratory distress syndrome is a type of respiratory (lung) failure resulting from many different disorders that cause fluid to accumulate in the lungs and oxygen levels in the blood to be too low.

The person has shortness of breath, usually with rapid, shallow breathing, the skin may become mottled or blue (cyanosis), and other organs such as the heart and brain may malfunction.
A fingertip sensor (pulse oximetry) or a sample of blood from an artery is used to determine the levels of oxygen in the blood, and a chest x-ray is also taken.
People are treated in an intensive care unit because they may need mechanical ventilation.
Oxygen is given and the cause of the respiratory failure is treated.

Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a medical emergency. It may occur in people who already have lung disease or in those with previously normal lungs. This disorder used to be called adult respiratory distress syndrome, although it can occur in children.
ARDS is divided into three categories: mild, moderate, and severe. The category is determined by comparing the level of oxygen in the blood with the amount of oxygen that needs to be given to achieve that level.