Negative pressure pulmonary edema: A rare complication of septorhinoplasty and a report of two cases

Abstract

Negative pressure pulmonary edema (NPPE) develops when a patient makes a forced inspiration against a closed upper airway resulting in transudation of pulmonary capillary fluid into the interstitium. Young, healthy athletic males are more susceptible to this complication, and NPPE is most frequently encountered during oral and maxillofacial surgeries. Patients who have undergone septorhinoplasty surgery have a significant risk for NPPE, unlike other cosmetic surgeries. Herein, we describe two cases of postoperative NPPE following a septorhinoplasty. Early symptoms of NPPE are severe respiratory distress, tachypnea, agitation, and crushed strawberry-colored bloody sputum during the early postextubation period. An early diagnosis of NPPE is very important, and patient recovery is quick when an early diagnosis is made.

Keywords

• laryngospasm
• negative pressure pulmonary edema
• septorhinoplasty