Arch Intern Med
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Case Reports
Diagnosis of adult respiratory distress syndrome associated with underlying severe emphysema.
Adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) notably produces bilateral homogeneous alveolar infiltrates and decreased lung compliance. We encountered a patient whose severe underlying emphysema altered these distinctive clinical features. ⋯ We suggest that the pathologic features of the emphysematous lung with multiple blebs and decreased elastic recoil properties impart these unique findings. When ARDS develops in a patient with severe underlying emphysema, an atypical presentation may produce a confusing clinical picture.