A Rare Cause of Pulmonary Edema in the Postoperative Period

With the increasing longevity of the population, the annual rates of hip arthroplasties performed have been steadily increasing over the past decade. Given the presence of medical comorbidities in the older patients, the peri-operative care of these individuals requires multi-specialty care, now more than ever. Hip arthroplasty is generally well tolerated, with early mortality after the procedure being <1%. Bone cement implantation syndrome (BCIS) is an entity that is occasionally encountered during or after the surgery. It is characterized by hypoxemia, hypotension, cardiac arrhythmias, and cardiac arrest leading to death, in severe cases. We report a case of a middle-aged female who developed refractory hypotension and pulmonary edema while undergoing hemiarthroplasty for a pathological femoral neck fracture and experienced cardiac arrest in the immediate postoperative period. Critical care physicians must familiarize themselves with promptly diagnosing and managing BCIS.