Role of Dyspnea in the Progression of Pediatric Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome

Pediatric acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a life-threatening clinical syndrome, and dyspnea is its key symptom. Strenuous respiratory effort is a "second hit" for ARDS lungs, inducing changes in regional lung aeration and amplifying lung damage in preclinical studies, a phenomenon known as "patient self-inflicted lung injury". In a clinical setting, clinicians are concerned about the possible connection between dyspnea and ARDS progression based on indirect evidence, such as the worse outcomes associated with delayed intubation or failed weaning from mechanical ventilation. Dyspnea is hard to quantify due to its subjective nature. Still, it can be assessed through its interrelated and independent components: respiratory drive (neural stimuli), respiratory effort (muscle contraction), and work of breathing (energy expenditure). This project aims to identify mechanical thres