ABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the prognosis and the factors affecting the prognosis in children with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Seventy-eight children with ARDS were enrolled. The states of their survival within 30 days were followed-up.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Of the 78 children with ARDS, 51 cases demised, 27 cases survived, with a 30-days survival rate of 35%. The average survival time was 14.4 days (median: 8 days). The peak of death appeared within 3 days after ARDS. There were significant differences in aspects of age, primary disease, percentage of neonatal hyaline membrane disease, pediatric critical illness score (PCIS), duration of mechanical ventilation, oxygenation index (PaO(2)/FiO(2)), white blood cell count and number of involved organs between the died and survived children (P<0.05 or 0.01). The Cox multiple factors analysis showed that the age (HR 3.924~3.938), primary disease (HR=1.817) and PCIS (HR=0.469) were the risk factors of death.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>The peak of death usually appears within 3 days after ARDS. Age, primary disease and PCIS are the independent factors of prognosis in children with ARDS.</p>