Postoperative Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome Development in the Thoracic Surgery Patient

Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) in the thoracic surgery patient is a dreaded complication that occurs in 4% to 5% of pneumonectomies. This peculiar syndrome is indistinct from other forms of ARDS yet is associated with an exceedingly higher mortality rate. Current management parallels ARDS treatment of other etiologies.