Key result
Acute pulmonary edema may occur following head injury due to elevated systemic blood pressure in response to increasing intracranial pressure, as described in 2 case reports.
Why the study?
Do antihypertensive drugs prevent pulmonary edema and decrease mortality in patients with head injury and increased intracranial pressure?
Case Report (n=2)
Do antihypertensive drugs prevent pulmonary edema and decrease mortality in patients with head injury and increased intracranial pressure?
Neurogenic pulmonary edema following head injury may be driven by systemic hypertension secondary to increased intracranial pressure, suggesting a potential role for early antihypertensive therapy.
Hypertension from rising ICP may trigger post-traumatic pulmonary edema; case-report data leave a role for early antihypertensives open pending controlled trials.
An acute episode of pulmonary edema may occur in association with head injury. This is due to the elevation of systemic blood pressure, to maintain cerebral circulation in the presence of increasing intracranial pressure (ICP). In these instances, the pulmonary edema arises as a pathophysiologic, neurohemodynamic response to the intracranial disease. This response has been produced experimentally, and 2 case reports described this problem clinically. If such patients with increased ICP could be treated immediately with antihypertensive drugs, pulmonary edema might be prevented and the high mortality rate decreased.
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Cohen et al. (1977) conducted a case report in Head injury with acute pulmonary edema (n=2). Head injury was evaluated on Acute pulmonary edema. Acute pulmonary edema may occur following head injury due to elevated systemic blood pressure in response to increasing intracranial pressure, as described in 2 case reports.
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