TY - JOUR T1 - Acute Lung Injury: Prevention May Be the Best Medicine JF - Respiratory Care SP - 1546 LP - 1554 DO - 10.4187/respcare.01361 VL - 56 IS - 10 AU - John M Litell AU - Michelle Ng Gong AU - Daniel Talmor AU - Ognjen Gajic Y1 - 2011/10/01 UR - http://rc.rcjournal.com/content/56/10/1546.abstract N2 - Acute lung injury affects a subset of hospitalized patients but is not universal. This syndrome can substantially delay ventilator liberation, prolong intensive care unit (ICU) stay, and increase mortality. As with many critical illness syndromes, the available treatment options are limited in number and impact. Once a patient develops lung injury, the best known strategy is supportive care. Observational studies have identified potential risk factors and have suggested that the use and timing of certain critical care interventions may influence the likelihood of developing lung injury. These findings suggest that a well designed screening tool and the systematic application of best practices in critical care may limit the risk of lung injury. An effective prediction score may also facilitate enrollment in pharmacopreventive trials. Development of such tools is accelerated by multicenter collaboration. ER -