Pulmonary edema

Pulmonary edema is excess fluid in the lung interstitium or air sacs that impairs oxygen transfer and can cause respiratory distress.

Pulmonary capillary wedge pressure: A catheter-based estimate of pressure in the left atrium and pulmonary veins. Elevated values can indicate the hydrostatic pressure driving fluid from pulmonary capillaries.
Cardiogenic pulmonary edema: Pulmonary edema caused by elevated cardiac filling pressures, commonly from left-sided heart failure. It is the classic pressure-driven form associated with cardiac dysfunction.
Chest radiography: Imaging that uses X-rays to depict structures within the chest. It can reveal vascular redistribution, interstitial markings, or air-space opacities associated with edema.
Pleural effusion: An abnormal collection of fluid in the pleural space surrounding a lung. Unlike pulmonary edema, this fluid lies outside lung tissue and air spaces.
Hypoxemia: An abnormally low concentration of oxygen in arterial blood. Fluid-filled or thickened gas-exchange regions can prevent adequate oxygen from reaching the blood.
Starling equation: An equation describing fluid movement across a capillary wall from hydrostatic and oncotic pressure gradients. It explains how pressure and protein forces govern fluid leakage into lung tissue.
Noncardiogenic pulmonary edema: Pulmonary edema caused primarily by increased permeability or other mechanisms rather than elevated left-heart pressure. It groups cases in which capillary barrier injury, not cardiac pressure, dominates.
Lung ultrasound: Bedside ultrasound examination of the lungs and pleural surfaces. Multiple B-lines can indicate increased lung density from interstitial fluid.
Pneumonia: An infection of lung tissue that inflames alveoli and may fill them with fluid or cellular material. Pneumonia can resemble edema on imaging but arises from infection and inflammation.
Ventilation-perfusion mismatch: Uneven matching of airflow to blood flow across the lungs. Edema creates poorly ventilated regions that may still receive blood flow.

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