This document summarizes acute lung injury (ALI) and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), including definitions, epidemiology, clinical presentation, predictors of outcome, mortality rates, and ventilator-based management strategies. Key points include:
- The 1994 consensus definitions of ALI and ARDS focus on timing, radiographic findings, and impaired oxygenation.
- Common causes are direct lung injury from aspiration/pneumonia or indirect injury from sepsis/shock.
- Mortality ranges from 31-74% depending on study. Non-respiratory organ failure is a major cause of death.
- A landmark 2000 trial showed that a "lung-protective strategy" using lower tidal volumes