Annual incidence of the acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and acute lung injury (ALI) in different clinical studies
| Study | Criteria used to diagnose ALI/ARDS | Incidence (cases/100 000 population/year) | Study limitations |
|---|---|---|---|
| NHLI task force27 | 75 | • Broad definition of respiratory distress syndrome including patients with volume overload | |
| Canary Islands31 | Pao2/Fio2 <110 | 1.5 | • Mean age of study population was 32 |
| Pao2/Fio2 <150 | 3.5 | • Non-urban setting | |
| Utah30 | Pao2/Fio2 <110 | 4.8–8.3 | • Incomplete sampling of hospitals |
| • Use of ICD-9 codes to diagnose ARDS | |||
| Berlin28 | Lung injury score >2.5 | 3.0 | • 2 month study may miss seasonal variation in incidence of ALI/ARDS |
| Lung injury score >1.75–<2.5 | 17.1 | • No correction for migration in and out of study population | |
| Scandinavia29 | Pao2/Fio2 <300 | 13.5 | • 2 month study may miss seasonal variation in incidence of ALI/ARDS |
| Pao2/Fio2 <200 | 17.9 | ||
| Lung injury score >2.5 | 7.6 | • No correction for migration in and out of study population |