Two opposing epidemiological views of ARDS were presented by Lemaire (Créteil, France) and Evans (London, UK). Broad agreement does seem to exist as to the incidence of this condition, which is in the order of 10/100,000, although there is significant variation between countries. It was argued that this variation results from the availability of ventilated beds, with higher incidences apparent in countries with greater provision, emphasizing that this condition can be considered the result of intensive care intervention or, as one speaker put it, 'physician-induced lung injury'.