Acute respiratory distress syndrome 40 years later: Time to revisit its definition*

OBJECTIVE: Acute respiratory distress syndrome is a common disorder associated with significant mortality and morbidity. The aim of this article is to critically evaluate the definition of acute respiratory distress syndrome and examine the impact the definition has on clinical practice and research. DATA SOURCES: Articles from a MEDLINE search (1950 to August 2007) using the Medical Subject Heading respiratory distress syndrome, adult, …