Update in acute lung injury and mechanical ventilation 2013

Abstract

In the field of lung injury, the term “acute lung injury” (ALI) has been dropped from the new Berlin definition of the acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). The term will remain in use in experimental settings. The issue of having an appropriate definition for this syndrome has been discussed this year in a few excellent studies but will remain debated for a long time in the absence of any gold standard for defining ARDS. This will also continue to make it difficult to define one unique pathogenesis or one biomarker because of the variety of causes, circumstances, and individual responses to aggression, as discussed below. More significant results may be obtained in more homogeneous populations.