Adult respiratory distress syndrome associated with adult epiglottitis.

Adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is an increased permeability pulmonary edema syndrome known to be associated with a variety of direct and indirect pulmonary insults. ARDS occurred in a 37-year-old woman during an episode of epiglottitis. The patient was treated with endotracheal intubation and mechanical ventilation and recovered, to be discharged from the hospital 1 week after presentation. There are only two cases of ARDS reported in this setting, and in each case, pulmonary edema followed cardiac arrest and the patients had a fatal outcome.