AANA Journal course: update for nurse anesthetists--anesthesia-related noncardiogenic pulmonary edema: a literature review.

Pulmonary edema is a generalized descriptive term for the accumulation of fluid within the interstitium and/or the alveolar spaces of the lungs. This accumulation of fluid has a cause that may be termed cardiogenic or noncardiogenic. Pulmonary edema of cardiogenic origin is usually due to failure of the left side of the heart, but it also can be attributed to the right side of the heart. Noncardiogenic pulmonary edema (NCPE) usually is attributable to certain lung injuries or disease states, but it also can be neurogenic in origin. Some occurrences of NCPE can be traced directly to the administration of anesthesia. For example, NCPE can result from upper airway obstruction or the administration of naloxone.