Pulmonary edema is a buildup of fluid in the lungs. It can make it very hard to breathe and is a serious medical problem. If the condition is not treated, it can be life-threatening.
Often the cause of pulmonary edema is heart disease. Heart disease can increase the blood pressure in the blood vessels in the lungs. The increased pressure pushes fluid into the lung tissue and air sacs. When the air sacs fill with fluid, there is no room for air. This makes it hard to breathe and means that oxygen cannot move from your lungs into your bloodstream.
Heart valve disease and heart attacks are the main cardiac causes of pulmonary edema. Sometimes the heart muscle does not pump well after a heart attack, or your heart may become stiff after many years of high blood pressure.
Pulmonary edema can occur even if you have a normal heart. The lung blood vessels may become porous and leak fluid into the lungs. This can be the result of many things, including severe infections, transfusions of many units of blood, injury to the lungs, or cancer.
The early symptoms of pulmonary edema may include:
Pulmonary edema may get worse very quickly. As it gets worse, symptoms may include:
You may feel like you are drowning in your own fluids. When pulmonary edema is severe, you need to get medical help right away.
Your healthcare provider will ask about your medical history, observe your symptoms, and examine you. A chest X-ray often helps to confirm the diagnosis by showing fluid in the lungs. A more complicated test involves inserting a tube (catheter) through a vein and pushing it through the right side of the heart into the lung arteries. Then lung blood pressures can be measured to confirm high blood pressure in the lungs.
The most serious problem is that your lungs cannot deliver enough oxygen to your body. You will be given oxygen. The oxygen may need to be pumped into your lungs with a ventilator. This requires putting a tube into your windpipe.
Fluid can be removed from your lungs with a shot of diuretic medicine. A diuretic is a drug that helps your body lose water through more urination. As lung blood pressure and fluid decrease, you will stop needing as much extra oxygen, and you can be taken off the ventilator. You may be given medicines such as morphine (to lessen anxiety and stress) and nitroglycerin (to quickly lower blood pressure in the lungs).
Depending on the reason for the pulmonary edema, most people feel better after the medicines help them get rid of the extra fluid. You will probably need to watch what you eat, avoid salt and take diuretic pills regularly. Keeping track of your weight will help your healthcare provider know when to adjust the medicines to prevent or reduce pulmonary congestion.
