Postoperative laryngeal edema presumably due to hypoalbuminemia causing acute airway obstruction after extubation in a patient after nephrectomy

We report here a case of upper airway obstruction occurring after extubation in a 55-yr-old 60 kg man after elective nephrectomy. Anesthesia was maintained with O2 (33%), N2O, sevoflurane (1.5-2%), and propofol infusion (2 mg x kg(-1) x hr(-1)). Blood loss was 1,965 ml, part of which was substituted by blood transfusion and albumin infusion. After surgery, the patient recovered uneventfully and could be extubated shortly. Twenty minutes after extubation, he developed dyspnea progressively with stridor and became cyanotic despite the use of oxygen mask and assisted ventilation. Oxygen saturation decreased gradually, and bradycardia (<30 beats x min(-1)) and severe hypotension were also observed. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation using epinephrine was immediately started. Re-intubation of the trachea was difficult due to severe edema, but eventually performed using a tube of a smaller size (internal diameter 7.0 mm). Subsequent investigations using a fiberscope confirmed extensive soft tissue swelling, maximal at the level of the vocal cord and extending up- and down-wards to the trachea, indicating that the obstruction is caused by severe laryngeal edema. We believe that edema may have been caused by hypoalbuminemia (1.3 g x dl(-1)) at the end of operation. Therefore, it should be noted that hypoalbuminemia may cause laryngeal edema leading to acute airway obstruction.