A 25-year-old lady presented with acute respiratory distress syndrome following dilatation and curettage. Due to non-responding fever she was investigated further. High resolution computed tomography showed ‘random nodules’ with consolidation suggestive of miliary tuberculosis with acute respiratory distress syndrome, which was confirmed later on trans bronchial lung biopsy. She responded to an...

A study published in the previous issue of Critical Care demonstrates that measurement of the pulmonary dead-space fraction is superior to hypoxemia as an indicator of a favorable physiologic response to prone positioning in patients with severe acute respiratory distress syndrome. These results add to the growing evidence supporting the clinical and research value of measuring pulmonary dead s...

Acute lung injury and the more severe acute respiratory distress syndrome represent a spectrum of lung disease characterized by the sudden onset of inflammatory pulmonary edema secondary to myriad local or systemic insults. The present article provides a review of current evidence in the epidemiology and treatment of acute lung injury and acute respiratory distress syndrome, with a focus on sig...

This report presents a case of severe asthmatic attack and adult respiratory distress syndrome, which occurred in an asthmatic subject following acute short-term exposure to commonly used cleaning detergents. Premorbid lung conditions, i.e. asthma and airway hyperresponsiveness, might have been risk factors for illness severity but not for persistent complaints. This case report indicates that ...

Severe acute chest syndrome afflicts patients with sickle cell disease and can cause hypoxemia refractory to conventional treatments. Obstructive mucus plugging and the development of acute respiratory distress syndrome may underlie the pathophysiology of refractory hypoxemia in acute chest syndrome. Although high-frequency oscillatory ventilation (HFOV) is well established in the treatment of ...