Diagnosing acute respiratory distress syndrome in resource limited settings: the Kigali modification of the Berlin definition.

Purpose Of Review: The acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) was re-defined by a panel of experts in Berlin in 2012. Although the Berlin criteria improved upon the validity and reliability of the definition, it did not make diagnosis of ARDS in resource limited settings possible. Mechanical ventilation, arterial blood gas measurements, and chest radiographs are not feasible in many regions of the world.

Acute respiratory distress syndrome in the global context.

Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a clinically defined syndrome of hypoxia and bilateral pulmonary infiltrates due to inflammatory pathways triggered by pulmonary and nonpulmonary insults, and ARDS is pathologically correlated with diffuse alveolar damage. Estimates of ARDS's impact in the developed world vary widely, with some of the discrepancies attributed to marked differences in the availability of intensive care beds and mechanical ventilation. Almost nothing is known about the epidemiology of ARDS in the developing world, in part due to a clinical definition requiring positive pressure ventilation, arterial blood gases, and chest radiography.