There is no definitive treatment for ARDS. Precipitating causes should be aggressively addressed. Therapy should focus on respiratory support; most patients require prolonged mechanical ventilation. In addition, judicious fluid therapy to prevent volume overload and use of low tidal volumes during mechanical ventilation can help improve outcomes.2
In this study, medical records of 46 dogs and 8 cats were retrospectively evaluated to determine risk factors for ARDS development and patient outcomes. The most common risk factor identified in dogs was aspiration pneumonia, whereas systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) with or without apparent sepsis was most commonly identified in cats. Mechanical ventilation was recommended in 86% of patients; ventilation was not recommended in the remaining 14% of patients due to futile prognosis. The overall mortality rate
was high (dogs, 84%; cats, 100%); however, many patients were euthanized shortly after diagnosis, potentially due to the financial burden associated with treating this syndrome.