Fatal idiopathic acute eosinophilic pneumonia with acute lung injury

A fatal case of idiopathic eosinophilic pneumonia with acute lung injury is described. The patient required treatment with mechanical ventilation and intravenous corticosteroids, however, she died on the third hospital day. At autopsy, both exudative and proliferative phases of diffuse alveolar damage were observed bilaterally. Marked eosinophilic infiltrate was noted in the alveolar wall and within the alveolar cavities with occasional abscess-like features. To our knowledge, this is the first report of fatal acute eosinophilic pneumonia, and provides important information for the management of this condition.