Point of care ultrasound detection of thrombus straddling a patent foramen ovale in a patient with acute chest syndrome

Abstract

Patients with sickle cell disease can develop acute chest syndrome and are at high risk of developing pulmonary thrombosis. We report a case of a young woman with sickle cell disease who was hospitalized for vaso-occlusive crisis and subsequently developed worsening acute chest syndrome and stroke, discovered on point of care ultrasound to have right heart failure and a thrombus straddling a patent foramen oval. POCUS is highly specific for the detection of right heart dilation/dysfunction and should be a routine component of the assessment of acutely decompensating patients.

Keywords

• Sickle cell disease
• Paradoxical embolism
• Point of care ultrasound
• Critical care