"Although we do not know what causes ARDS, there are precipitating events which predictably put a person at risk. These insults include trauma from things like auto accidents, sports fractures or battlefield injuries, severe infections, and gastric aspiration. Ironically, the patient is often in the recovery phase of this initial condition when he begins to develop ARDS. As the disease progresses, fluid leaks from blood vessels into the lung and the lung fails in its critical task of oxygenating the blood."

Q. What can be done for ARDS patients?

"We support them with oxygen, a ventilator and fluids. Then we wait to see what happens. We don't know what determines who lives or dies. I've been surprised by patients who struggled for weeks, then recovered rapidly and walked out of the hospital. Unfortunately, more often, even those patients who were healthy hours before coming to the hospital, deteriorate quickly and die."

Q. How does the research team approach this problem?

"One of our hypotheses at Webb-Waring is that the initial insults (infection, trauma, etc.) trigger the over-production of oxygen free radicals (an altered form of the oxygen molecule), which directly injure lung tissue. As a result, we are aggressively exploring the role of oxygen radicals in ARDS. In addition, we are trying to identify techniques that detoxify the oxygen radicals before they become destructive. We are also focused on discovering markers that may identify individuals predisposed to ARDS. These markers may enable us to start treatment sooner and perhaps prevent the development of ARDS."

Q. What progress has been made?

"We have made progress in recognizing the initial events leading to ARDS. However, less progress has been made in understanding the complex sequence of events that will ultimately damage the cells within the lung. In addition to studying the process of cell damage, we are also working on developing drugs that will correct the imbalance caused by an excess of oxygen radicals. Using molecular biology, we want to eventually develop approaches for improving the body's own natural defense mechanisms to control ARDS and many other oxygen radical related diseases.

Back to ARDS Research at Webb-Waring