Nitric oxide improves hypoxaemia following reperfusion oedema after pulmonary thromboendarterectomy.

A patient underwent pulmonary thromboendoarterectomy for chronic, major-vessel thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension. After operation the patient developed reperfusion oedema and hypoxaemia which was treated successfully with inhalation of nitric oxide. Before operation, the response to inhaled nitric oxide was characterized by a slight reduction in pulmonary vascular resistance but without improvement in gas exchange. The postoperative improvement in oxygenation after inhalation of nitric oxide contrasted sharply with the preoperative reaction.