Prone positioning to treat acute severe pulmonary edema in the post-cardiac surgical patient: a case report.
Noncardiogenic pulmonary edema can be fatal without adequate resuscitation. We report, for the first time, the use of prone positioning in the immediate post-cardiac surgical period to treat a patient with profound hypoxemia secondary to massive (noncardiogenic) pulmonary edema. Prone positioning corrects ventilation-perfusion mismatch and allows gravity-dependent drainage of capillary leak-mediated endobronchial pulmonary fluid.
Atluri
Pavan
P
Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
Neligan
Patrick J
PJ
Acker
Michael A
MA
Bensall
Dean L
DL
Horak
Jiri
J
D000208:Acute Disease; D000368:Aged; D019918:Heart Valve Prosthesis Implantation / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016684:Prone Position; D011654:Pulmonary Edema / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy*