Acute lung injury and acute respiratory distress syndrome: What should we know?

Acute lung injury(ALI)and its more severe form acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) are syndromes with a spectrum of increasing severity of lung injury defined by physiologic and radiographic criteria. There are many clinical disorders associated with the development of ALI/ARDS and can be divided into those associated with direct or indirect lung injury. Early detection and protective lung ventilation strategy contribute to lowering the mortality rate.