<Tr> <Th> MeSH </Th> <Td> D012128 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td_colspan="2"> (edit on Wikidata) </Td> </Tr> <P> Acute (or Adult) respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a medical condition occurring in critically ill patients characterized by widespread inflammation in the lungs . ARDS is not a particular disease; rather, it is a clinical phenotype which may be triggered by various pathologies such as trauma, pneumonia and sepsis . </P> <P> The hallmark of ARDS is diffuse injury to cells which form the alveolar barrier, surfactant dysfunction, activation of the innate immune response, and abnormal coagulation . In effect, ARDS results in impaired gas exchange within the lungs at the level of the microscopic alveoli . </P>

A key characteristic feature of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ards) is