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Acute lung injury (ALI) causes significant morbidity and mortality in critically ill patients. Contributing factors have been difficult to determine because patients generally have complex illnesses that require multiple therapies administered simultaneously. In a prospective, observational cohort study at a single tertiary care center, researchers evaluated the potential association between delayed treatment (6 or more hours after shock onset) of septic shock and development of ALI.
Of 160 consecutive adult patients with septic shock who were admitted during the 3-year study period, 44% developed ALI. The median time to ALI was 5 hours after shock onset, with 90% of cases occurring within the first 12 hours after shock onset. Ninety percent…