Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome: An Unexpected Outcome of Suspected Viral Gastroenteritis.

Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a life-threatening manifestation of diffuse inflammation damaging the lung pleura. Risk factors for development are numerous with most cases arising in those already hospitalized for critical illness. We describe a unique case of a healthy 20-year-old female developing myocarditis and severe ARDS while hospitalized for septic shock after initially presenting with gastroenteritis from a suspected Coxsackie B infection in the setting of an overseas military deployment.