The pulmonary artery catheter: a diagnostic adjunct for fat embolism syndrome

Available objective tests for fat embolism are neither sensitive nor specific. We performed frozen-section analysis of blood aspirated from a pulmonary artery catheter in a trauma victim with fat embolism syndrome and found marked levels of pulmonary microvascular blood fat. The amount of fat detected in this patient with long bone fractures was higher than that observed in a pilot study of this technique in cardiopulmonary bypass patients. This technique provided diagnostic support of our clinical findings. The procedure may prove useful in patients with an equivocal diagnosis of fat embolism or when the cause of posttraumatic acute pulmonary insufficiency is unknown.