ARDS: Lessons Learned From the Heart

Abstract

A syndrome encompasses a number of nosologic entities that do not necessarily share the same cause, pathogenesis, structural abnormalities, and treatment. The identification of a syndrome has different diagnostic and therapeutic implications because it prompts further testing to achieve the diagnosis of a specific disease. For instance, the diagnosis of acute coronary syndrome in a patient presenting with chest pain requires a more-specific diagnosis (ie, acute myocardial infarction) to direct therapy. The discovery of biomarkers has been a key advance to define one of the underlying causative entities (eg, acute myocardial infarction) and, therefore, allows appropriate identification of patients with a specific condition and treatment.