Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Negative pressure pulmonary edema as a post-anesthetic complication associated with upper airway obstruction in a horse.
- Journal:
- Veterinary surgery : VS
- Year:
- 1996
- Authors:
- Tute, A S et al.
- Affiliation:
- Department of Clinical Sciences · United States
- Species:
- horse
Plain-English summary
An 8-year-old Trakehner mare developed severe fluid buildup in her lungs after surgery, likely due to a blockage in her airway that happened during her recovery from anesthesia. Despite efforts to clear her airway and revive her, these attempts did not succeed. A thorough examination after her passing revealed significant bleeding and fluid in her lungs, but there were no signs of swelling or bleeding in her throat, which suggests that her airway may have collapsed or spasmed due to a previous condition affecting her throat muscles. This type of lung fluid buildup after anesthesia is not commonly seen in veterinary medicine. Unfortunately, the treatment did not work, and the mare did not survive.
Abstract
An 8-year-old Trakehner mare developed fulminant pulmonary edema following suspected upper airway obstruction 50 minutes into an otherwise unremarkable anesthetic recovery after surgery for left cricoarytenoideus dorsalis muscle reinnervation and ventriculocordectomy. Establishing a patent airway by orotracheal reintubation and cardiopulmonary resuscitation attempts were unsuccessful. Gross, histological, and electron microscopic postmortem examination showed severe hemorrhagic pulmonary edema. Laryngeal swelling or hemorrhage were not evident, suggesting laryngospasm or functional airway collapse associated with the underlying left laryngeal paralysis, as a cause of the upper airway obstruction. Negative pressure pulmonary edema is rarely reported in the veterinary literature as a postanesthetic complication.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8923732/