A Successful Experience for the Reversal of Acute Respiratory Failure Ascribable to Re-expansion Pulmonary Edema Via Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation Therapy: A Case Report and Review of the Current Literature

The literature has documented that various clinical conditions including hemopneumothorax, large pleural effusion, pnemothorax,and after lobectomy (or even one-lung ventilation), can lead to re-expansion pulmonary edema (REPE), an uncommon complication and yet potentially life-threatening condition.We describe herein a successful experience for the reversal of post-operative REPE case associated with video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery of massive spontaneous hemothorax due to acute hypovolemia occurred following the evacuation of an hemothorax with rapid re-expansion of a collapsed lung. This patient was successfully treated by application of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO).