[Acute pulmonary edema as a nursing emergency].

The presence of Acute Pulmonary Edema represents a severe emergency condition that requires immediate and efficient treatment; otherwise, imminent death of the patient occurs. Therefore it is of utter importance to perform frequent reviews of the literature to keep up with the newest procedures to warrant the best quality nursing care of our patients. This article reviews the physiopathology, clinical manifestations, and medical treatment of the Acute Pulmonary Edema, emphasizing on the nursing aspects of the treatment and pointing out the need to treat the predisposing cardiac alteration as soon as possible.