How to Explain ARDS to a Patient
ARDS is a life-threatening lung condition where your lungs become severely inflamed and fill with fluid, making it extremely difficult to breathe and get enough oxygen into your blood. 1
What Happens in Your Lungs
Your lungs become inflamed and damaged from a serious illness or injury (like severe pneumonia, sepsis, trauma, or aspiration), causing the tiny air sacs (alveoli) and blood vessels in your lungs to leak fluid and inflammatory cells. 2, 3
This fluid buildup is not from heart failure - it's from inflammation damaging the lung tissue itself, which is why it's different from typical fluid in the lungs from a weak heart. 1, 4
Your lungs become stiff and heavy, making it much harder to breathe and requiring a breathing machine (ventilator) to help you get enough oxygen. 5, 6
How Serious Is This?
ARDS is classified by severity based on how low your oxygen levels are: mild (oxygen ratio 200-300), moderate (100-200), or severe (less than 100), and unfortunately, the more severe your ARDS, the higher the risk. 1, 7
Mortality rates remain significant at 30-45% overall, with severe ARDS having mortality rates of 46-60%, though outcomes have improved with modern intensive care. 1, 4
About 25% of patients on ventilators in the ICU have ARDS, making it a common and serious condition requiring specialized care. 1
What Treatment Involves
The breathing machine uses special protective settings with smaller breaths (low tidal volumes of 4-8 ml/kg) and controlled pressures to avoid further damaging your already injured lungs. 1
If your ARDS is severe, you may be turned onto your stomach (prone positioning) for more than 12 hours per day, which helps oxygen reach more areas of your lungs and has been shown to improve survival. 1, 2
We focus on treating the underlying cause (like pneumonia or sepsis) while supporting your lungs with the ventilator, as there is no medication that directly cures ARDS itself. 3, 4
In the most severe cases, additional therapies like temporary paralysis medications, specialized positioning, or even a heart-lung bypass machine (ECMO) may be needed to keep you alive while your lungs heal. 1, 5, 3
What to Expect
Recovery takes time - your lungs need days to weeks to heal from the inflammation and injury, and you'll need to stay on the ventilator during this critical period. 4, 8
Many survivors experience long-term effects including decreased physical capacity, mental health challenges, and reduced quality of life, requiring ongoing medical care and rehabilitation after leaving the hospital. 1, 4
The goal is to support your breathing without causing more lung damage while your body fights off the infection or heals from the injury that triggered this condition. 5, 6