Can We Prevent ARDS After Cardiac Surgery?

In this episode, ▶ Sivelestat for ARDS prevention after cardiovascular surgery — an RCT showing a 46% relative reduction in ARDS incidence and four-fold lower 90-day mortality (Pan et al., JAMA Network Open, March 2026) ▶ Bendopnoea in pleural effusion — a simple bedside sign present in 56% of patients that predicts functional benefit from drainage (PLEASE-3, European Respiratory Journal, 2026) ▶ Respiratory critical care in 2025: what the evidence tells us about volatile sedation, driving pressure, oxygenation targets, and the emerging era of precision ventilation (Xia et al., Journal of Intensive Medicine, May 2026) REFERENCES Pan T, Xu C, Wang Y, et al. Sivelestat and Incidence of Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome After Cardiovascular Surgery: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Network Open. 2026;9(3):e260390. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkop... Lee WL, Slutsky AS. Preventing ARDS, Not Treating It — Lessons From Sivelestat After Cardiopulmonary Bypass. JAMA Network Open. 2026;9(3):e261201. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkop... Iacopetta BM, Roy B, Budgeon CA, et al. The Third Pleural Effusion and Symptom Evaluation (PLEASE-3) Study: Bendopnoea in patients with pleural effusion. Eur Respir J. 2026. https://doi.org/10.1183/13993003.0274... Xia J, Wu Z, Zhang H. Respiratory Medicine in the ICU 2026: From Physiology to Precision Care. Journal of Intensive Medicine. 2026. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jointm.2026... --- This Week in Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine is a weekly clinical briefing for pulmonologists, intensivists, fellows, and advanced practice providers. New episodes every week. Subscribe for evidence-based updates from the respiratory and critical care literature. #Pulmonology #CriticalCare #ARDS #MedicalEducation #ICU