Abstract:Objective: To observe the clinical efficacy of combination of traditional Chinese medicine and western medicine for treating acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) after chest trauma. Method: Eighty patients with ARDS treated in our hospital divided into 2 groups randomly, the control group (routine western medicine therapy) and the treatment group (modified Liangge San one dose daily, 10 d for a course, based on the routine western medicine). Hospitalization duration, mechanical ventilation time, oxygenation index, the change of arterial partial pressure of oxygen, complications and death rate in the 2 groups were observed and compared. Result: Arterial partial pressure of oxygen at 48, 72 h and oxygenation index at 24.36, 48, 72 h after treatment in the treatment group improved more evidently than those in the control group (P<0.05). Comparisons on mechanical ventilation time [(7.31±3.12)d vs (10.22±4.42)d], average hospitalization days [(12.32±2.35)d vs (16.43±3.43)d] and death rate (22.5% vs 42.5%) between treatment group and control group showed significant differences(P<0.05). Conclusion: Combined treatment of traditional Chinese medicine and western medicine for treat ARDS after chest trauma can not only reduce evidently mechanical ventilation time and hospitalization duration, but also improve success rate of rescue and reduce mortality.