Lung protective strategy and prone ventilation resulting in successful outcome in a patient with ARDS due to H1N1.

Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is an acute respiratory condition caused by various pulmonary and extrapulmonary conditions including H1N1 virus infection. ARDS has a high mortality worldwide and in India various studies suggest that mortality in children is as high as 73-75%. Different lung protective ventilation strategies have recently been adopted to reduce mortality. The authors report a successful outcome in a 3.5-year-old child with ARDS secondary to H1N1 infection following use of a very low tidal volume (4-6 ml/kg) along with high positive end-expiratory pressure breathing and prone ventilation. As far as we are aware, this is the first case report of a successful outcome in a child with ARDS secondary to H1N1 in India.