Absent Pulmonary Artery Presenting as High-Altitude Pulmonary Edema

Abstract

Case Presentation: A 22-year-old male with no known past medical history presented to our emergency department complaining of difficulty breathing. A plain film chest radiograph revealed findings consistent with a tension pneumothorax. Discussion: However, due to physical examination findings inconsistent with the imaging report, a computed tomography of the chest was ordered which revealed an absent right pulmonary artery. The patient was ultimately treated for high altitude pulmonary edema and discharged on nifedipine and supplementary oxygen.