Abstract

Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a common disorder associated with significant mortality and morbidity. The American-European Consensus Conference (AECC) definition of ARDS, established in 1994, has advanced the knowledge of ARDS by allowing the acquisition of clinical and epidemiological data, which in turn have led to improvements in care for patients with ARDS. However, after 18 years of applied research, a number of issues regarding various criteria of AECC definition have emerged. For these reason, and because all disease definitions should be reviewed periodically, the European Society of Intensive Care Medicine convened an international expert panel to revise the ARDS definition from September 30 to October 2, 2011, Berlin, Germany, with endorsement from American Thoracic Society and the Society of Critical Care Medicine. This consensus discussion, following empirical evaluation and consensus revision, addressed some of the limitations of the AECC definition by incorporating current data, physiologic concepts, and clinical trials to develop a new definition of ARDS (Berlin definition). The Berlin definition should facilitate case recognition and better match treatment options to severity in both the research trials and clinical practice.

• Keywords: acute lung injury;acute respiratory distress syndrome;consensus;definition;