#515: Cardiogenic Pulmonary Edema

A patient is stable going into surgery and comes out of anesthesia fine. Twenty minutes later in the PACU, she's gasping for air, her neck veins are bulging, and she's coughing up pink, frothy sputum. Yikes! What just happened? And why did it happen so fast? In this episode, I'm breaking down cardiogenic pulmonary edema, including: - A walk through the actual blood flow pathway that explains why pressure backs up into the lungs in the first place - Two distinct processes that can cause cardiogenic pulmonary edema: ☝️ the classic fluid overload picture