Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Case Reports
. 2018 Apr 29:2018:1479850.
doi: 10.1155/2018/1479850. eCollection 2018.

Fat Embolism Syndrome: A Case Report and Review Literature

Affiliations
Case Reports

Fat Embolism Syndrome: A Case Report and Review Literature

Nattaphol Uransilp et al. Case Rep Med. .

Erratum in

Abstract

Fat embolism syndrome (FES) is a life-threatening complication in patients with orthopedic trauma, especially long bone fractures. The diagnosis of fat embolism is made by clinical features alone with no specific laboratory findings. FES has no specific treatment and requires supportive care, although it can be prevented by early fixation of bone fractures. Here, we report a case of FES in a patient with right femoral neck fracture, which was diagnosed initially by Gurd's criteria and subsequently confirmed by typical appearances on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain. The patient received supportive management and a short course of intravenous methylprednisolone.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Radiograph of the hip before surgery (left) and after surgery (right).
Figure 2
Figure 2
MRI brain DWI (upper) and FLAIR (lower).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Chest radiograph at 1 hour after surgery (left) and 24 hours after surgery (right).
Figure 4
Figure 4
MES was detected in right MCA.

References

    1. Zhenker F. A. Dresden, Germany: J Braunsdorf; 1861.
    1. Kosova E., Bergmark B., Piazza G. Fat embolism syndrome. 2015;131(3):317–320. doi: 10.1161/circulationaha.114.010835. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Gossling H. R., Pellegrini V. D. Fat embolism syndrome: a review of the pathophysiology and physiological basis of treatment. 1982;165:68–82. doi: 10.1097/00003086-198205000-00011. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Baker P. L., Pazell J. A., Peltier L. F. Free fatty acids, catecholamines, and arterial hypoxia in patients with fat embolism. 1971;11(12):1026–1030. doi: 10.1097/00005373-197112000-00006. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Powers K. A., Talbot L. A. Fat embolism syndrome after femur fracture with intramedullary nailing: case report. 2011;20(3):4–6. doi: 10.4037/ajcc2011694. - DOI - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources