Acute respiratory distress syndrome - Potential pharmacologic interventions

Remarkable progress has been made in the past decade with regard to understanding the interplay of potent physiologic mediators in patients resulting in the development of acute lung injury (ALI) and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). The current concert of an inciting event triggering a cascade of events involving cytokines, proteases, bioactive Lipids, bioactive amines, and free radicals, resulting in ALI, has provided researchers with new and unique targets for possible pharmacological intervention. In this article, the authors examine a number of new therapies that have been suggested and examined in recent years, many of which remain controversial.