Table 1.
Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) – definition (Berlin criteria) and causes.
| Berlin criteria | |
|---|---|
| Timing | Worsening or new respiratory symptoms within one week of known clinical process. |
| Chest imaging | Bilateral infiltrates that cannot be fully explained by atelectasis, lung nodules, or effusions |
| Origin of oedema | Not completely explained by cardiac failure or fluid overload |
| Oxygenation | Mild = 200 mmHg < PaO2/FiO2 ≤300 mmHg Moderate = 100 mmHg < PaO2/FiO2 ≤200 mmHg Severe = PaO2/FiO2 <100 mmHg |
| Non-obstetric causes | Pneumonia (bacterial, fungal, and viral), influenza A (H1N1) |
| Sepsis (especially pyelonephritis) | |
| Blood product transfusion (transfusion-related acute lung injury) | |
| Haemorrhage, disseminated intravascular coagulation | |
| Trauma/contusion, fat emboli, air emboli | |
| Aspiration (Mendelson's syndrome) (11%∗) | |
| Near drowning, inhalation injury, burns, reperfusion injury, pancreatitis | |
| Intracerebral haemorrhage | |
| Obstetric causes | Pre-eclampsia/eclampsia (up to 22% of ARDS in pregnancy) (25%∗) |
| Puerperal infections and septic abortion (43%∗) | |
| Amniotic fluid embolism | |
| Tocolytic therapy | |
| Retained gestational products |