Haemorrhagic pulmonary oedema following postoperative laryngospasm after ear reconstructive surgery: A case report

Abstract

Introduction: After the initial report by Oswalt in 1977 some cases of postanaesthetic laryngospasm causing pulmonary oedema, have been reported in the anaesthesia and surgery literature. However none of these is from West Africa. We therefore report this uncommon entity in a Nigerian adult male following ear reconstructive surgery.
Method and result: We present a 33 year old healthy adult male who developed haemorrhagic pulmonary oedema following post-extubation laryngaspasm to illustrate the management of this uncommon clinical condition.
Conclusion: An exhaustive pre-operative history and a high index of suspicion are important for diagnosis, followed by prompt intervention. 

Keywords: upper airway obstruction, laryngospasm, pulmonary oedema