Diagnosis of acute respiratory distress syndrome in nosocomial pneumonia.

Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) complicates nosocomial pneumonias (NPn) in 12% to 33% of patients with associated increases in mortality of up to 80%. A timely diagnosis of ARDS with NPn is, however, problematic. The aim of this investigation was to improve the diagnosis and treatment of the early stages of ARDS with NPn.