Area-wide study of acute respiratory distress syndrome begins; based at Harborview

Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is associated with up to 50,000 deaths in the United States each year, with 40 percent of those afflicted dying from the disease. Survivors of ARDS are often left with chronic problems affecting their pulmonary function and quality of life.

Despite advances in care, due in part to discoveries occurring at Harborview and UW medical centers, much is still unknown about ARDS. The King County Lung Injury Project will involve all hospitals with intensive care units in King County in an effort to collect detailed data on severity of illness, process of care and outcomes for seriously ill patients. Five hospitals in Snohomish and Pierce counties are also taking part in the project.

“This research network is the first step in a new effort to improve quality of care for thousands of patients and will build partnerships that will allow future studies of ARDS,” said Dr. Gordon Rubenfeld, UW assistant professor of medicine in the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine. “Our community partners are enthusiastic about the data the project will provide them, enabling them to evaluate their care of a challenging and complex group of patients.”

Rubenfeld and Dr. Len Hudson, head of pulmonary and critical care medicine, are co-investigators for the project, which is funded for three years by the National Institutes of Health. The project goal is to provide information on several key questions: