Bilateral Reexpansion Pulmonary Edema after Decompression of Intraoperative Tension Pneumothorax: A case report

Reexpansion pulmonary edema(RPE) is a complication of the treatment of lung collapse secondary to pneumothorax, pleural effusion or atelectasis, and generally believed to occur ipsilaterally when a chronically collapsed lung is rapidly reexpanded by evacuation of large amount of air or fluid. Clinical manifestations of RPE are dyspnea, tachypnea, cyanosis, frothy blood-tinged sputum, wet rale, and expiratory wheezing. Hypotension and decrease in organ perfusion can occur. We experienced intraoperative tension pneumothorax probably due to positive pressure ventilation or pleural injury during central venous catheterization through internal jugular vein. And bilateral RPE combined with acute renal failure occurs after spontaneous decompression of tension pneumothorax with chest tube insertion, even with brief duration of lung collapse. (Korean J Anesthesiol 1997; 32: 316∼319)