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Updated: Jan 30, 2026

Intraoperative Ultrasound in Spinal Surgery
Published on: August 17, 2022
Sudden intraoperative pulmonary congestion in a patient with severe anemia transfused 3 days prior to surgery
Takeru Shimizu1, Hiroshi Takahashi2, Makoto Tanaka1
1Department of Anesthesiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan.
Preoperative blood transfusion is sometimes controversial. We describe a case of a 43-year-old woman who developed sudden pulmonary congestion during surgery despite a small amount of intravenous crystalloid administration. She had no allergic disorders. Preoperative examination revealed that her hemoglobin was 5.6 g/dl, and she was diagnosed as folate-deficiency anemia although she never felt any symptoms before. Therefore, blood transfusion was performed and her hemoglobin increased to 9.4 g/dl. Amid surgery, airway pressure increased suddenly and pulsed oxygen saturation dropped. Chest roentgenogram revealed that the lungs were congested and her heart was markedly enlarged indicating the state of circulatory overload. We suggest that preoperative transfusion in a patient with chronic anemia should be carefully considered, and strongly recommend the confirmation with chest roentgenogram.
Preoperative blood transfusion is sometimes controversial. We describe a case of a 43-year-old woman who developed sudden pulmonary congestion during surgery despite a small amount of intravenous crystalloid administration. She had no allergic disorders. Preoperative examination revealed that her hemoglobin was 5.6 g/dl, and she was diagnosed as folate-deficiency anemia although she never felt any symptoms before. Therefore, blood transfusion was performed and her hemoglobin increased to 9.4 g/dl. Amid surgery, airway pressure increased suddenly and pulsed oxygen saturation dropped. Chest roentgenogram revealed that the lungs were congested and her heart was markedly enlarged indicating the state of circulatory overload. We suggest that preoperative transfusion in a patient with chronic anemia should be carefully considered, and strongly recommend the confirmation with chest roentgenogram.
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