Pulse oximetry and the Kigali Modification of the Berlin Criteria can be used to diagnose ARDS (Riviello et al, Am J Respir Crit Care, 2016)
See Kigali Criteria summary on the Respiratory Care Pocket Card
In the absence of ABGs, management of ARDS is extremely challenging. While SpO2 provides information for most patients, there are limited surrogates for assessing ventilation or acid base status, both key diagnostic information for ARDS management
Tutorial on ARDS management without ABGs
This calculator can be used to estimate P:F ratios when only SpO2 values are available