ARDS Foundation www.ardsusa.org Seeks Qualified Physicians and Specialists for Who's Who List

The ARDS Foundation, a national, nonprofit organization seeks qualified specialist in the area of acute respiratory distress syndrome for inclusion on their "Who's Who" List. The ARDS Foundation is an charitable organization comprised of individuals who have been personally affected by ARDS. The purpose of the list is so that those within the ARDS community will have access to the names of specialists for consultation while hospitalized or post ARDS to physicians who have an expertise in acute respiratory distress syndrome. The list also lets those within the medical community know of others who has a keen interest in ARDS.

Northbrook, IL (PRWEB) October, 2004 -- the ARDS Foundation is seeking qualified specialists for inclusion on their Who's Who in ARDS List at http://ardsusa.org/ARDSwhosewho.htm

Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) is a life threatening condition that leads to a dangerous loss in the functioning of the lungs. Although there are over 60 distressed conditions that can bring on ARDS, the most common are pneumonia, sepsis (an overwhelming infection in the body), aspiration of fumes, food or stomach contents into the lung, and trauma. These conditions cause the body to manufacture substances that may cause inflammation in the lungs. Once inflamed, the alveoli (air sacs) are then unable to perform the normal oxygenation of the blood.

Families with a patient in ARDS crisis are often seeking the consultation of a specialist in their geographical location. Patients who survive ARDS likewise have unique needs post ARDS. If you are such a physician or mental health professional who has experience with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), email or fax (847.272.5499) your CV to the ARDS Foundation for reveiw. Once reviewed, you will be notified. The goal of the ARDS Foundation is to include qualified physicians from all geographic areas.

Approximately 150,000 cases of ARDS are reported each year in the United State, and about half of those patients survive this syndrome. Many survivors leave the hospital with an array of complex post ARDS conditions.

Sometimes, due to the length of their hospitalization, time on a ventilator, and time in a medically induced coma, ARDS survivors also have issues related to depression and post traumatic stress disorder (PTDS) that may differ from other patients are hospitalized with serious illnesses. Having a specialist in ARDS is foremost to ARDS survivors.

To view those names already included on our list: http://ardsusa.org/physicianlist.htm

ARDS Foundation President, Eileen Rubin Zacharias, had her life irreparably altered nine years ago when, at the age of thirty-three, she spent nine weeks in the hospital with ARDS. “We feel that part of our obligation is to provide information to the ARDS community that will help others to help themselves. When we offer links to long term acute care medical hospitals, articles to medical journals, or providing a list of names of physicians who are qualified in this area of medicine, then we have fulfilled part of our mission." said Eileen Zacharias, ARDS Foundation President. "We are committed to educating, as well as increasing awareness, about this devastating syndrome.”

Paula Blonski, who lost her sister, Marybeth, a nurse, at the age of thirty-six, said, “Families who find themselves faced with crisis and need to know who a qaulified ARDS specialist is, need to know immediately. Thus is the nature of a syndrome that comes on so suddenly, so critically. With a list of physicians available online, families will have the names of doctors at any time of the day or night, " said Blonski, Vice President of the ARDS Foundation.

To learn more about ARDS and the ARDS Foundation Physician List, please visit http://www.ardsusa.org/ or call 1.312.749.7047.