Redefining Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome

The Berlin definition addresses some limitations of the current definition of ARDS.

In 1994, the American-European Consensus Conference (AECC) defined acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) as acute onset of hypoxemia (quantified as arterial partial pressure of oxygen to fraction of inspired oxygen [PaO₂/FIO₂] ≤200) with new bilateral opacities identified on chest radiograph and no evidence of left atrial hypertension. An all-encompassing entity, “acute lung injury” (PaO₂/FIO₂ ≤300), also was described and has been a source of widespread confusion. Hoping that a more refined definition might help physicians provide better care for patients with ARDS, a task force of experts convened in Berlin to update the definition.

The most notable change from the AECC definition is elimination of acute lung injury (ALI) as a categor…

Reviewing Authors

Patricia Kritek, MD

Disclosures

Editorial BoardsATS Scholar

Patricia Kritek, MD

Disclosures

Editorial BoardsATS Scholar

Daniel J. Pallin, MD, MPH

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardPortola Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Speaker’s BureauPeerView Institute for Medical Education

Grant/Research SupportAgency for Healthcare Research and Quality; CDC; NIH–National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences; NIH–National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID); NIH–NIAID–Antibacterial Resistance Leadership Group; Merck; Pfizer; Boehringer-Ingelheim; Shire; Portola Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; Novartis; bioMérieux; Siemens; Rapid Pathogen Screening; Magnolia; Stago; Innovative Biosensors; Molecular Detection, Inc.; Dyax Corp.; Trius Pharmaceuticals

Daniel J. Pallin, MD, MPH

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardPortola Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Speaker’s BureauPeerView Institute for Medical Education

Redefining Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome

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Reviewing Authors