Emergency department diagnosis of massive pleural effusion causing right ventricular diastolic collapse using bedside ultrasonography

Abstract

Introduction A 75-year-old man with a 150-pack-year smoking history presented to the emergency department with progressively worsening shortness of breath, dyspnea on exertion, cough with white sputum and right-sided chest pain with right shoulder radiation for 1 week. Chest X-ray and bedside ultrasonography revealed a massive pleural effusion. Bedside subcostal ultrasound examination of the heart showed diastolic collapse of the right ventricle, a tamponade-like picture, that corrected after thoracentesis and pleural fluid removal. Conclusion Bedside emergency department ultrasonography was used to assist in the diagnosis of massive pleural effusion causing right ventricular diastolic collapse.Keywords Ultrasound Á Massive pleural effusion Á Right ventricle diastolic collapse Case reportA 75-year-old man with a 150-pack-year smoking history presented to the emergency department with progressively worsening shortness of breath, dyspnea on exertion, cough with white sputum and right-sided chest pain with right shoulder radiation for 1 week. He also complained of losing 15 lb over the past few months. His ED vital signs were temperature 97.5°F, blood pressure 150/94 mmHg, respiratory rate 20 bpm, room air oxygen saturation 96%. Electrocardiogram revealed normal sinus rhythm with a heart rate of 111 bpm. His physical examination was notable for a thin man with decreased breath sounds on the right side and no leg edema or tenderness to palpation. Portable chest X-ray showed an extensive right pleural effusion. Initial laboratory studies were normal.An initial ED bedside ultrasound was performed of the chest and heart (see Video Clips S1, S2 and S3 available as supporting information in the online version of this paper). Examination of the right chest with both low frequency curved array and high frequency M-mode sonography revealed a massive pleural effusion with collapsed lung (Figs. 1, 2, 3). Subcostal bedside ultrasound examination of the heart showed diastolic collapse of the right ventricle with minimal pericardial effusion (Fig. 4). Subcostal evaluation of the inferior vena cava revealed marked inspiratory collapse (Fig. 5). Emergency department right chest thoracentesis was performed given the cardiac subcostal ultrasound findings of impending cardiac tamponade with diastolic collapse of the right ventricle, coupled with the patient becoming progressively more short of breath in the ED. The patient immediately felt better and less short of breath, with a decreased heart rate of 91 bpm, after the removal of 1.75 l of straw colored fluid. The fluid was a non-infectious exudate with a pH of 7.29. Repeat postthoracentesis ED bedside subcostal sonography revealed normal right ventricular filling with no diastolic collapse of the right ventricle ( Fig. 6 and see Video Clips S4 and S5 available as supporting information in the online version of this paper). The patient showed signs of improved hemodynamics as subcostal evaluation of the inferior vena cava Electronic supplementary material The online version of this a...