Negative-pressure pulmonary edema: a complication of shoulder arthroscopy

Negative-pressure pulmonary edema has been increasingly reported in surgical literature since 1977, yet there are no references to this condition in current orthopedic textbooks. We report a case of negative-pressure pulmonary edema occurring during arthroscopic surgery of the shoulder. The patient required reintubation for 5 days and hospitalization for 1 week. Because arthroscopic surgery is widely believed to be without complications, we want to make orthopedic surgeons aware of the possibility of negative-pressure pulmonary edema.