Acute pulmonary edema in pregnancy.

Abstract Acute pulmonary edema is one of the most dramatic complications of pregnancy. Statistical evidence concerning its incidence and effect on mortality during pregnancy is meager. It is generally considered a frequently fatal complication in all but its mildest forms; therefore, prompt recognition and successful treatment of this syndrome may be lifesaving for both mother and fetus. Recent laboratory and clinical investigations have demonstrated the efficacy of a new form of therapy for acute pulmonary edema. 1 Although this syndrome is primarily of interest to the internist, and early reports have been directed to him, it is felt that the obstetrician should be familiar with current thought on this subject, since he must recognize and treat this urgent complication when it occurs. It is the purpose of this paper to discuss the pathogenesis and conventional therapy of pulmonary edema, and to examine the literature pertaining to this condition as a complication of pregnancy. In addition, the successful use of alcohol vapor therapy in a pregnant patient with the most severe form of acute pulmonary edema will be discussed in detail.