TITLE:
First Masquerading as Gallstones, Pulmonary Hypertension Mimics PE
AUTHORS:
John Quinn, Sajana Ukwatta, Chris Luke, Tomas Zeleny, Vladimir Bencko
KEYWORDS:
Venouse Thromboembolism (DVT), Cholylithisis, Pulmonary Hypertension, Emergency Medicine Assessment
JOURNAL NAME:
Case Reports in Clinical Medicine,
Vol.4 No.12,
December
28,
2015
ABSTRACT: Patients presenting to emergency and urgent care centers with calf pain after long and short-haul flights are a common presentation throughout Europe. Patients fitting an epidemiological risk profile for cholelithiasis and presenting with right upper quadrant abdominal pain can also be a common presentation fitting of a specific patient profile. However, pulmonary hypertension can present in a nuanced and possible missed chronic and acute presentation. The patient case we present profiles a mildly obese 54-year-old Caucasian woman and recent holiday maker with unilateral calf pain and shortness of breath after traveling on a long-haul flight with tertiary symptoms of indigestion and epigastric discomfort indicative of gastroenteritis. This case highlights the required diligence for emergency physicians to maintain a high index of suspicion and broad differential diagnosis in the undifferentiated patient with seemingly common or classic presentations. We find that a serendipitous definitive diagnosis is made by following a systematic and organized approach.