RESUMO
The fat embolism syndrome is a serious and potentially life threatening complication of long bone trauma, blunt trauma and intramedullary manipulation. A 26-year-old woman underwent an intramedullary nailing of the femur under general anesthesia 45 hours after a traffic accident. The operation ended uneventfully and the patient was extubated in the operatirg room. About one hour after the patient arrived at the recovery room, she progressively developed tachycardia, tachypnea, cyanosis and drowsiness. The fat embolism syndrome was suspected because of the above clinical signs, and because pulmonary edema appeared on a simple chest A-P. During six days of intensive treatment in response to the fat embolism syndrome, the patient,s vital signs and ventilatory status progressively improved. The patient was uneventfully discharged from the hospital 19 days after her operation.