Therapeutic target
Stabilization
Measures for acute pulmonary edema:
- Patient is placed in a sitting body position with lower extremities hanging down.
- Oxygen administration (10 l/min; target sO2 (oxygen saturation) > 90%), noninvasive ventilation with high-flow oxygen (up to 50?l/min)/invasive ventilation if necessary.
- Sedation (sedation; low-dose i.v. morphine).
- If there is marked fluid overload of the pulmonary parenchyma: rapid administration of furosemide (diuretic from the loop diuretic group), intravenously or as a bolus.
- Cardiac pulmonary edema: preload reduction, increase cardiac pump function (see therapy heart failure).
- Toxic pulmonary edema: glucocorticoids, ECMO if necessary (extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO); intensive care technique in which a machine partially or completely takes over the respiratory function of patients).
- See also under “Other therapy.”
Basically, therapy of the underlying disease is required.
