Post-obstructive pulmonary edema following near-hanging: a case report and systematic review of published cases

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Post-obstructive pulmonary edema (POPE) is a rare, life-threatening complication of strangulation. Management is based on low-grade evidence, and outcomes are poorly characterized. OBJECTIVE: To report a systematic review of POPE following near-hanging, illustrated by a case report that represents the first documented African case. METHODS: We combined a novel case report with a systematic review of published case reports and case series, conducted per a pre-registered protocol on the Open Science Framework (OSF). A clinical trial number was not applicable. A comprehensive search of major databases identified all relevant published cases. Data on demographics, management, and outcomes were extracted and synthesized descriptively. RESULTS: Fifteen cases from 11 publications were included. Patients were predominantly young (median age 24). Symptoms overwhelmingly presented pre-hospital (93%). Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) on admission was low (median 6), and the overall mortality rate was 40% (6/15). Adjunctive therapies were reported to be administered more frequently in survivors than in non-survivors, including diuretics (55.6% vs. 16.7%) and corticosteroids (44.4% vs. 16.7%), representing a potential clinical signal. CONCLUSION: POPE following strangulation is associated with high mortality in young, otherwise healthy populations. This review identified a tentative association between adjunctive diuretic or corticosteroid therapy and improved survival. While these hypothesis-generating findings require cautious interpretation due to the low-level evidence, they represent a potential clinical signal necessitating further prospective evaluation and standardized reporting.