lung and airway disorders
Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS)
Symptoms of ARDS
ARDS usually develops within 24 to 48 hours of the original injury or disease but may take as long as 4 or 5 days to occur. The person first has shortness of breath, usually with rapid, shallow breathing. Using a stethoscope, a doctor may hear crackling or wheezing sounds in the lungs. The skin may become mottled or blue ( Cyanosis ) in light-skinned people and gray or whitish coloration in the mouth, around the eyes, and under the nails in dark-skinned people because of low oxygen levels in the blood. Other organs such as the heart and brain may malfunction, resulting in a rapid heart rate, 