Figure 1

Consequences of fluid transfer during hydrostatic pulmonary oedema. (a) As weaning-induced pulmonary edema is of a hydrostatic nature, its development is characterized by transfer of a hypo-oncotic fluid from the pulmonary capillary lumen toward the interstitial compartment and then the alveoli. Molecules like proteins cannot flow across the lung barrier owing to their high molecular weight. (b) After equilibrium is reached, weaning-induced pulmonary edema is thus characterized by a contraction of the vascular compartment and an augmentation in the plasma protein concentration.