title: Fatal re-expansion pulmonary edema in a young adult following tube thoracostomy for spontaneous pneumothorax.
abstract: Re-expansion pulmonary edema (RPE) is a rare but potentially fatal complication that can occur following rapid lung expansion while managing patients with pleural effusion or pneumothorax. In this case, fatal outcome occurred due to RPE in a previously healthy young adult male patient subsequent to tube thoracostomy for spontaneous pneumothorax. While managing patients with pneumothorax or large pleural effusions, precautions should be taken to avoid rapid re-expansion of the previously collapsed lung in order to reduce the probability of development of this complication.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, India.
authors.forename: Sunil
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sharma
authors.forename: Karan
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Madan
authors.forename: Navneet
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Singh
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011030:Pneumothorax / Q000601:surgery*; D011654:Pulmonary Edema / Q000209:etiology*; D013907:Thoracostomy / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000379:methods; D055815:Young Adult