Swiss medical weekly
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Acute shortness of breath is a common symptom of a variety of cardiac or pulmonary diseases. Prompt diagnosis of the underlying disease is a prerequisite for the initiation of appropriate therapeutic measures. Possible causes of dyspnea can be classified pathophysiologically as obstructive or restrictive ventilatory disorders, pulmonary vascular diseases and abnormal central regulation of breathing. In most cases the diagnosis can be suspected from an accurate history and thorough clinical workup, and confirmed by simple additional diagnostic procedures.
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Swiss medical weekly · Jul 1994
[Acute dyspnea in fluid overload: pathogenesis and differential diagnosis].
Pulmonary edema is a frequent complication in patients undergoing intravenous fluid therapy. Thorough and repeated clinical workup of the patients, along with few relevant laboratory data, are in most cases sufficient to analyze the factors which influence the Starling forces. This approach allows early detection of fluid overload and the development of pulmonary edema can be avoided.