Non-respiratory therapy of adult respiratory distress syndrome
Friedli, D.; Strebel, S.
Schweizerische Medizinische Wochenschrift 121(42): 1545-1551
1991
ISSN/ISBN: 0036-7672 PMID: 1947950 Document Number: 372273
Several approaches to non-respiratory management of adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) are discussed. (1) Diagnosis and therapy of the underlying disease is a primary goal in order to avoid the ongoing process of lung injury. (2) Specific pharmacologic therapy for primary lung injury is not available even after 25 years of immunologic research, because no specific mediator has yet been identified as a primary pathogenic factor in ARDS, which is a heterogenous clinical syndrome. (3) Supportive therapy (i.e. improving right ventricular dysfunction and treating pulmonary arterial hypertension) should be emphasized. (4) The most important approach is to optimize prophylactic management to avoid nosocomial infection by eliminating unnecessary invasive techniques, changing the patients' positioning and conserving organ function. So far the latter approach seems to be the only way to improve survival in respiratory failure.