On the other hand, non-cardiogenic pulmonary edema is due to an injury to the lung’s vasculature. Treatment for pulmonary edema is aimed at enhancing the respiratory function, treating the underlying cause, and avoiding more damage to the lung. In severe cases, pulmonary edema can result in respiratory distress, heart attack, and even death. Considering that cardiogenic pulmonary edema (CPE) is a type of pulmonary edema, the paper will focus on cardiogenic pulmonary edema.
Lungs contain numerous small and elastic sacs referred to as alveoli (Luks, 2013). During gaseous exchange, these air sacs take in oxygen and blow out carbon dioxide. In normal cases, the respiration occurs devoid of any problems. However, in certain situations, the alveoli may be filled with fluids in place of air, thus preventing oxygen from being absorbed into the bloodstream. This results in a condition called cardiogenic pulmonary edema (Murray, 2012). Conventionally, cardiogenic refers to the left ventricle causes. In this case, cardiogenic pulmonary edema is as a result of failure of the heart’s left ventricle to effectively eliminate blood from the pulmonary circulation. As noted by Cleland, Yassin, and Khadjooi (2010), this may be attributable to increased pressure in heart leading to a fast or slow heartbeat, and accumulation of fluids.
CPE is caused by problems in the heart muscle, valvular problems, and renal artery stenosis.