Injurious Mechanical Ventilation and End-Organ Epithelial Cell Apoptosis and Organ Dysfunction in an Experimental Model of Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome

Abstract

The acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a serious form of acute lung injury and has a mortality rate of at least 30%.^1,2 Although the most obvious clinical abnormalities are referable to the lung, the most common cause of death is dysfunction of other organs, termed multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS).^1-3 Multiple organ dysfunction syndrome is often irreversible, with mortality ranging from 60% to 98%.^4-6 To date, there is neither an effective treatment for MODS nor an effective means for preventing its onset.