ARDS: acute respiratory distress syndrome

Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a severe respiratory disease that has not been well represented in veterinary medicine. Extensive research around this condition has been conducted in human medicine over the last 40 years, but in veterinary medicine the true incidence in animals is still unclear. Currently, this condition is much less common in animals than in people, however there are more cases published in the associated literature regarding dogs than cats. With the ever-increasing number of veterinary critical care facilities and the greater number of owners willing to pursue extensive treatment in critically ill animals, there will no doubt be an increase in the frequency of ARDS cases being identified and treated (Carpenter et al, 2001). ARDS occurs when there is a diffuse inflammation across the lung tissue. ARDS can develop as a result of a primary condition (e.g. pneumonia) or a systemic problem (e.g. trauma or sepsis) (Cavanagh, 2019).