The pulmonary physician in critical care • 5: Acute lung injury and the acute respiratory distress syndrome: definitions and epidemiology
- Cardiovascular Research Institute and Departments of Medicine and Anesthesia, University of California, San Francisco, USA
- Correspondence to:
Dr M A Matthay, Cardiovascular Research Institute, University of California, 505 Parnassus Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94143-0130, USA;
mmatt{at}itsa.ucsf.edu
Abstract
An understanding of the epidemiology of ALI/ARDS and the effects of treatment have been hampered by the lack of a uniform definition of the syndrome. Various definitions have been proposed, and these are reviewed with particular attention to how changes in definition have affected our understanding of the natural history and treatment options for the condition.
- ALI, acute lung injury
- ARDS, acute respiratory distress syndrome
- PEEP, positive end expiratory pressure
- Pao2, arterial oxygen tension
- Fio2, fractional inspired oxygen
- Pao2, alveolar oxygen tension
- LIS, lung injury score
- PAOP, pulmonary artery occlusion pressure
Footnotes
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Supported in part by NIH HL51856.
