acute respiratory distress syndrome

acute respiratory distress syndrome

noun

Definition of ACUTE RESPIRATORY DISTRESS SYNDROME

: respiratory failure in adults or children that results from diffuse injury to the endothelium of the lung (as in sepsis, chest trauma, massive blood transfusion, aspiration of the gastric contents, or pneumonia) and is characterized by pulmonary edema with an abnormally high amount of protein in the edematous fluid and by difficult rapid breathing and hypoxemia—abbreviation ARDS; called also adult respiratory distress syndrome