The European journal of surgery = Acta chirurgica
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The adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a serious complication of many medical and surgical conditions, most of which do not involve direct pulmonary injury. In surgical practice, septic shock has long been recognised as an important cause of ARDS and it presents many management challenges. ⋯ The neutrophil has emerged as the central effector cell and possesses a formidable armamentarium of cytokines, enzymes, and oxygen radicals that are capable of inflicting damage to cells. In this review I examine the mechanisms underlying the recruitment and activation of neutrophils in ARDS.