PROGNOSIS



The mortality rate in ARDS is 50 to 80 per cent. In any particular patient this is strongly influ­enced by the presence of other acute or chronic disorders. The cause of death is often unclear. In­fection, particularly when associated with bac­teremia of unknown origin, is a major determinant of mortality. Inadequate tissue oxygenation and organ failure are also likely to play significant roles.

Of those patients who survive the acute event, the prognosis depends primarily on the presence of other underlying disease. For most patients who began with normal lungs, pulmonary func­tion returns slowly toward normal. A small num­ber of patients will be left with residual fibrosis, rarely of a severe nature.