Contemporary clinical trials in acute respiratory distress syndrome.

respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Today, the treatment of patients with acute RDS remains supportive; the syndrome remains a problem that has defied a satisfactory solution since its description nearly a quarter of a century ago.’ The conference was sponsored by the Respiratory Distress Syndrome Foundation,* in conjunction with the Division of Lung Diseases of the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. The first session was a round-table discussion on “Issues and Challenges in the Conduct of Multicenter Clinical Trials.” Conceptual topics that generated debate among the conferees included questions of patient outcome and compliance, the possible adverse effects of treatment, acceptable sample sizes for