A Case of Pulmonary Edema Induced by Acute Alcoholic Intoxication

Chihiro Maekawa¹, Tatsuro Sakai¹, Hiroaki Taniguchi¹, Noriko Tanaka¹ and Youichi Yanagawa^1,

¹Department of Acute Critical Care Medicine, Juntendo Shizuoka Hospital, Izunokuni, Japan

Cite this paper:
Chihiro Maekawa, Tatsuro Sakai, Hiroaki Taniguchi, Noriko Tanaka and Youichi Yanagawa. A Case of Pulmonary Edema Induced by Acute Alcoholic Intoxication. American Journal of Medical Case Reports. 2024; 12(7):101-102. doi: 10.12691/ajmcr-12-7-3

Abstract

A 31-year-old male with no medical history, who runs his own nightclub, experienced altered consciousness after heavy alcohol drinking and was transported to our hospital by ambulance. On arrival, he was in a deep coma with tongue base retraction and snoring respiration. Auscultation revealed wet rales in both lung fields, necessitating tracheal intubation. Whole-body computed tomography revealed left-dominant ground-glass opacities and infiltrative shadows in both lungs' dorsal regions. His heart function was normal. The patient was diagnosed with acute alcohol intoxication, bilateral pulmonary edema, and aspiration. His lung function improved without event, and he was discharged on the third day. This case showed rare pulmonary edema induced by acute alcohol intoxication. The mechanism of pulmonary edema might be due to impaired alveolar epithelium and alveolar macrophages, reduction in alveolar fluid clearance, fluid retention in the human body due to the direct effect of alcohol, and/or negative-pressure pulmonary edema caused by airway obstruction due to coma.

Keywords:
alcohol pulmonary edema negative pressure

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