Early recognition of pulmonary dysfunction is critical in accurately and rapidly diagnosing respiratory illnesses such as acute hypoxic respiratory failure, ARDS, and communityacquired pneumonia because the prognosis is largely dependent on how soon the treatment is initiated after the diagnosis. Unfortunately, few easily accessible (noninvasive) techniques exist for measuring oxygenation needs. We congratulate Chalmers et al 1 for the study in this issue of RESPIRATORY CARE in which they identified changes in F IO 2 as an early prognostic marker in patients with ARDS and community-acquired pneumonia. Specifically, the investigators examined a cohort of 3,000 subjects with ARDS or community-acquired pneumonia who were admitted to the ICU. The study identified F IO 2 to be easily accessible in electronic health records and, through careful monitoring, F IO 2 trajectory was a predictor of ventilator-free days. 1 P aO 2 /F IO 2 is the primary classification index and the accepted standard for determining the severity of respiratory illness. However, measurements are noncontinuous, require invasive regular arterial blood gas measurements, and are costly and time intensive for respiratory therapists and other clinicians.