Simvastatin Effect on the Incidence of Acute Lung Injury/Adult Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ALI/ARDS)

Acute Lung Injury/Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ALI/ARDS) is a serious and frequently encountered entity in modern ICUs. Sepsis remains the most common cause of ALI/ARDS and carries the worst prognosis. The disease is characterized by an intense inflammatory process. This inflammation plays a major role in the development of gas exchange abnormalities seen in the course of the disease. Statins, primarily used as lipid-lowering agents, are now known to possess anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antithrombogenic and vascular function-restoring actions. Therefore the investigators propose to determine if Simvastatin may be useful in decreasing the incidence of this deadly syndrome in critically ill patients.