Dialysis catheter-related pulmonary embolism in a patient with paraquat intoxication

Li-Keng Chao; Te-Chao Fang

doi:10.1016/j.tcmj.2015.05.005

Dialysis catheter-related pulmonary embolism in a patient with paraquat intoxication

Tzu Chi Med J. 2016 Oct-Dec;28(4):166-169. doi: 10.1016/j.tcmj.2015.05.005. Epub 2015 Jul 2.

Authors

Li-Keng Chao¹, Te-Chao Fang^{2

3}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Internal Medicine, Buddhist Tzu Chi General Hospital, Hualien, Taiwan.
² Department of Internal Medicine, Wan Fang Hospital, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan.
³ Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan.

Abstract

A 30-year-old woman was sent to the emergency room after alcohol and paraquat ingestion. After three sessions of hemoperfusion via the indwelling double-lumen catheter, the patient could tolerate ambient air and her urine output was good. However, on the 10^th day of hospitalization, she had a sudden onset of dyspnea and hypoxia. Pulmonary embolism was diagnosed by a computed tomography pulmonary angiogram. The patient recovered after anticoagulation therapy. We could find no reports of dyspnea caused by pulmonary embolism in patients with paraquat intoxication. Here, we present this rare case; the indwelling double-lumen catheter might have been a cause of the pulmonary embolism.

Keywords: Double-lumen catheter; Paraquat intoxication; Pulmonary embolism.

Publication types

Case Reports