Pulmonary edema is swelling and/or fluid accumulation in the lungs. It leads to impaired gas exchange and may cause respiratory failure. The heart and lungs (from an older edition of Grays Anatomy) The lung is an organ belonging to the respiratory system and interfacing to the circulatory system of air-breathing vertebrates. ... Respiratory failure is a medical term for inadequate gas exchange by the respiratory system. ...

Signs and symptoms

Symptoms of pulmonary edema include difficulty breathing, coughing up blood, excessive sweating, anxiety and pale skin. If left untreated, it can lead to death, generally due to its main complication of acute respiratory distress syndrome. Dyspnea (Latin dyspnoea, Greek dyspnoia from dyspnoos - short of breath) or shortness of breath (SOB) is perceived difficulty breathing or pain on breathing. ... Hemoptysis is the expectoration of blood or of blood-stained sputum from the bronchi, larynx, trachea, or lungs (e. ... Diaphoresis is excessive sweating commonly associated with shock and other medical emergency conditions. ... Anxiety is a complex combination of the feeling of fear, apprehension and worry often accompanied by physical sensations such as palpitations, chest pain and/or shortness of breath. ... Pallor is an abnormal loss of skin or mucous membrane color. ... Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), also known as respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) or adult respiratory distress syndrome (in contrast with IRDS) is a serious reaction to various forms of injuries to the lung, leading to impaired gas exchange and inflammation. ...

Diagnosis

Pulmonary edema is generally suspected due to findings in the medical history and physical examination: end-inspiratory crackles during auscultation (listening to the breathing through a stethoscope) can be due to pulmonary edema. The diagnosis is confirmed on X-ray of the lungs, which shows increased vascular filling and fluid in the alveolar walls. In medicine, physical examination is the process by which the physician investigates the body of a patient for signs of disease to aid in determining the correct diagnosis. ... Stethoscope The stethoscope is an acoustic medical device for auscultation, i. ... In the NATO phonetic alphabet, X-ray represents the letter X. An X-ray picture (radiograph) taken by Röntgen An X-ray is a form of electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength approximately in the range of 5 pm to 10 nanometers (corresponding to frequencies in the range 30 PHz...

Low oxygen saturation and disturbed arterial blood gas readings may strengthen the diagnosis and provide grounds for various forms of treatment. General Name, Symbol, Number Oxygen, O, 8 Chemical series nonmetals Group, Period, Block 16 (VIA), 2, p Density, Hardness 1. ... Arterial blood gas measurement is a test that can be done to determine the amount of oxygen, carbon dioxide and bicarbonate in the blood, as well as the pH of the blood. ...

Causes

Pulmonary edema is either due to direct damage to the tissue or as a result of inadequate functioning of the heart or circulatory system.

Circulatory causes:

• Heart failure
• Severe heart attack
• Excess body fluids from kidney failure

Tissue damage: Congestive heart failure (CHF) (also called Congestive Cardiac Failure and heart failure) is the inability of the heart to pump a sufficient amount of blood throughout the body, or requiring elevated filling pressures in order to pump effectively. ... A myocardial infarction occurs when an atherosclerotic plaque slowly builds up in the inner lining of a coronary artery and then suddenly ruptures, totally occluding the artery and preventing blood flow downstream. ... Renal failure is when the kidneys fail to function properly. ...

• Inhalation of toxic gases
• Severe infection
• Lack of proper altitude acclimatization.

Altitude sickness (also: acute mountain sickness (AMS) or altitude illness) is a pathological condition that is caused by lack of adaptation to high altitudes. ...

Therapy

When circulatory causes have led to pulmonary edema, treatment with loop diuretics, such as furosemide or bumetanide, is the mainstay of therapy. Other useful treaments include glyceryl trinitrate, CPAP and oxygen. Loop diuretics are diuretics that act on the ascending loop of Henle in the kidney. ... Furosemide (INN) or frusemide (former BAN) is a loop diuretic used in the treatment of congestive heart failure and oedema. ... Bumetanide is a loop diuretic of the sulfamyl category. ... Glyceryl trinitrate (GTN) is the pharmaceutical name for nitroglycerin. ... Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is a method of respiratory ventilation used primarily in the treatment of sleep apnea and various lung diseases. ... General Name, Symbol, Number Oxygen, O, 8 Chemical series nonmetals Group, Period, Block 16 (VIA), 2, p Density, Hardness 1. ...

There are no causal therapies for direct tissue damage; removal of the causes (e.g. treating an infection) is the most important measure.

Reference

• Medical Encyclopedia entry (http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000140.htm)