Reexpansion Pulmonary Edema during Decortication Operation under General Anesthesia - A case report / 대한마취과학회지

ABSTRACT

We have experienced a reexpansion pulmonary edema(RPE) during general anesthesia. This patient has undertaken the decortication operation due to right sided massive pleural effusion and fibrothorax. Generally reexpansion pulmonary edema is believed to oceur only when a chronically collapsed lung is rapidly reexpanded by evacuation of large amount of air or fluid in pneumothorax and pleural effusion. The pathogenesis of RPE is unknown and is probably multifactorial. The implicated etiologies are chronicity of collapse, technique of reexpansion, increased pulmonary vascular permeability, airway obstruction, loss of surfactant and pulmonaty artery pressure changes. The outcome of RPE may be fatal, so physician treating lung collapse must be aware of the possible causes and endeavor to prevent the occurrence of this complieation.