title: The acute respiratory distress syndrome: incidence and mortality, has it changed?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this review is to examine and discuss the incidence and outcome of patients with the acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). This is a challenging task, as there is no specific clinical sign or diagnostic test that accurately identifies and adequately defines this syndrome.
  
  
  RESULTS
  This review will focus on published epidemiological studies reporting population-based incidence of ARDS, as defined by the American-European Consensus Conference criteria. In addition, the current outcome figures for ARDS patients reported in observational and randomized controlled trials will be reviewed. The focus will be on studies published since 2000, when the ARDSnet study on protective mechanical ventilation was published, although particular emphasis will be on those articles published in the last 24 months.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  On the basis of current evidence, and despite the order of magnitude of reported European and USA incidence figures, it seems that the incidence and overall mortality of ARDS has not changed substantially since the original ARDSnet study. The current mortality of adult ARDS is still greater than 40%.
authors: aCIBER de Enfermedades Respiratorias, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid bResearch Unit, Hospital Universitario Dr Negrin, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain cKeenan Research Center at the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute of St. Michael's Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada dDepartment of Respiratory Care, Massachusetts General Hospital eDepartment of Anesthesia, Critical Care and Pain Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
authors: Jesús
authors: J
authors: Villar
authors: Demet
authors: D
authors: Sulemanji
authors: Robert M
authors: RM
authors: Kacmarek
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003422:Critical Care; D005060:Europe / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D012121:Respiration, Artificial / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods*; D012128:Respiratory Distress Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy; D018805:Sepsis / Q000401:mortality; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D055397:Ventilator-Induced Lung Injury / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000401:mortality / Q000517:prevention & control