DOI: 10.36347/sjmcr.2015.v03i07.011

Pages: 590-593

Advanced age and smoking are the most important etiological causes in determining morbidity and mortality in acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). In this case, a 83-year-old male patient developed ARDS with previous smoking history. The patient referred to the emergency service with a complaint of non-productive cough, progressive respiratory failure and orthopnea after smoking, and then a PA chest radiograph revealed two-sided common infiltration. Considering the likelihood of ARDS, biphasic positive airway pressure (BIPAP) was applied to the patient without any response, and therefore the patient was intubated and connected to mechanical ventilator. After improving ventilator parameters, the patient was taken from ventilator and and discharged from the hospital with a good general medical condition. We hereby stress out in this case presentation that people elder than 65 years old with a history of smoking are likely to develop ARDS.