CHANGES IN THE EPIDEMIOLOGY OF THE ACUTE RESPIRATORY DISTRESS SYNDROME (ARDS) IN CHILDREN

OBJECTIVE: Our aim was to analyze, in a retrospective study, changes in acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) within the same pediatric intensive care unit by using the same diagnostic criteria as published in 1982. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Fifteen patients (mean age 5.1 years, range 16 days-15 years) admitted between 1988 and 1994 fulfilling our former criteria for ARDS were included in the study. RESULTS: The incidence of ARDS after the age of 7 days was 0.45% of all admissions between the age of 1 week and 16 years vs 1.79% in the former series of patients (p or = 0.5 (204 h vs 39 h, p or = 0.5, pulmonary involvement is more severe. The number of failing organs/systems remains nearly twice as frequent in non-survivors compared to survivors.