Flori H, et al. - In this prospective cohort study performed in 22 pediatric intensive care units participating in a multi-center clinical trial [Randomized Evaluation of Sedation Titration for Respiratory Failure -(RESTORE)], researchers examined mechanically ventilated children (2 weeks to 17 years of age) with acute respiratory failure, to assess the development of pediatric acute respiratory distress syndrome (PARDS) and other clinical outcomes in relation to early and sequential measurement of plasma interleukin-8 (IL-8) and/or its genetic variants. Across primary diagnoses, a significant variation was noted in IL-8 levels; sepsis patients exhibited the highest levels, and asthma patients had the lowest levels. PARDS patients vs those without PARDS had consistently higher IL-8; non-survivors vs survivors levels had 4–12 fold higher levels. Findings revealed a robust association of sequential measurement of plasma IL-8 with multiple, relevant clinical outcomes including mortality, however, no link with PARDS development was evident.