#518: Noncardiogenic Pulmonary Edema for Nursing Students

Picture this: You're a nurse in the PACU and are receiving a patient who is a 34 year old male with a past medical history of obesity and loud snoring reported by his spouse. Although he does not have diagnosed obstructive sleep apnea, you suspect it. He was given general anesthesia with some ketamine mixed in during an elective septoplasty.

Once he gets to the PACU, he has a rapid onset of significant respiratory distress. His SpO2 is dropping even with supplemental oxygen, he has pink frothing sputum, and diffuse crackles bilaterally. What's going on with this guy? How serious is this?

In this episode, I'm breaking down noncardiogenic pulmonary edema, including:

- Pathophysiology and common causes

- Two types of negative-pressure pulmonary edema (NPPE), which is the cause you'll see most often in the OR or PACU

- Who is most at risk for NPPE

- Nursing care for patients with noncardiogenic pulmonary edema using the Straight A Nursing LATTE method which includes common signs and symptoms, priority assessments, key tests utilized to evaluate the condition, treatments, and follow-up education

- A side-by-side breakdown of cardiogenic pulmonary edema vs noncardiogenic pulmonary edema with references to the patient mentioned above and the patient mentioned in episode #515, so you'll walk away knowing exactly how to quickly tell these two conditions apart at the bedside

If you've ever looked at a patient with crackles and hypoxemia and immediately thought "heart failure," this episode is going to change how you approach that assessment.

Episodes mentioned:

#515: Cardiogenic Pulmonary Edema

#137: The Basics of Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS)