First Final

1

Final Project Outline

Regis Ricarly

School of Respiratory Care Sciences, Boise State University

RESPCARE 355: Professional Communication in Health Care

Jessica Foreman-Starks, MSRC, RRT, RRT-ACCS

May 26, 2026

2

Final Project Outline

I. Introduction

A. Topic is Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS)

B. Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) is an acute onset of respiratory

failure resulting from extensive inflammation and damage to the lungs, and

ultimately resulting in life-threatening oxygen exchange problems (Gossman et

al., 2024). The topic is significant because of high rates of death associated with

ARDS and requires rapid recognition and evidence based interventions (Bos &

Ware, 2022).

II. Causes and Clinical Characteristics of Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome

A. Common causes and risk factors of ARDS like sepsis, pneumonia, aspiration,

trauma, and severe infections as precipitating factors (Gossman et al., 2024)

B. Clinical features and diagnosis. Infiltrates bilaterally, hypoxemia, respiratory

distress and decreased lung compliance (Gossman et al., 2024).

III. Pathophysiology and Disease Heterogeneity.

A. Mechanisms involved in ARDS progression like endothelial and epithelial

permeability changes (Ma et al., 2025)

B. ARDS phenotypes and variability such as biological and clinical subphenotypes

among patients (Bos & Ware, 2022).

IV. Treatment and Future Therapeutic Approaches.

A. Current management strategies like mechanical ventilation and supportive

respiratory care (Gossman et al., 2024).

3

B. Emerging therapies and precision medicine approaches (Ziaka & Exadaktylos,

2025).

V. Conclusion

A. ARDS entails complex causes, pathophysiological mechanisms, clinical

manifestations, and treatment challenges.

B. Knowledge of disease variability and development of tailored interventions can

facilitate better patient care and outcomes.

4

References

Bos, L., & Ware, L. (2022). Acute respiratory distress syndrome: causes, pathophysiology, and

phenotypes. The Lancet, 400(10358), 1145–1156.

https://doi.org/10.1016/s0140-6736(22)01485-4

Gossman, W., Peniston, H. L., & Mahapatra, S. (2024, January 31). Acute respiratory distress

syndrome (ARDS). Nih.gov; StatPearls Publishing.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK436002/

Ma, W., Tang, S., Yao, P., Zhou, T., Niu, Q., Liu, P., Tang, S., Chen, Y., Gan, L., & Cao, Y.

(2025). Advances in acute respiratory distress syndrome: focusing on heterogeneity,

pathophysiology, and therapeutic strategies. Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy,

10(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41392-025-02127-9

Ziaka, M., & Exadaktylos, A. (2025). Acute respiratory distress syndrome: Pathophysiological

insights, subphenotypes, and clinical implications—A comprehensive review. Journal of

Clinical Medicine, 14(15), 5184. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm14155184