Negative pressure pulmonary edema in healthy cosmetic surgery patients.

Anesthetic complications are uncommon in young and healthy patients undergoing cosmetic surgery. We report 2 cases of negative pressure pulmonary edema (NPPE) in young patients, 1 who underwent rhinoplasty and another who underwent augmentation mammaplasty and suction-assisted lipoplasty of the thighs and buttocks This rare and potentially fatal complication requires admission to an intensive-care unit and delayed discharge. Although cases of NPPE have been reported in the medical and anesthetic literature, NPPE in plastic surgery has never been reported previously.