A 23-year-old man with fever, dyspnea, extensive bilateral pulmonary infiltrates, and a question of heart failure
Article Abstract:
A 23-year-old man was admitted to a hospital after he developed shortness of breath, chest pain and a bloody cough. His lung function deteriorated and he was transferred to Massachusetts General Hospital and placed on a ventilator. His heart appeared normal on a chest X-ray, but an echocardiogram revealed an enlarged left atrium and a mass in the atrium that protruded into the left ventricle as it relaxed after contracting. This prevented the left ventricle from filling completely, causing pulmonary hypertension and elevated pressure in the pulmonary blood vessels. Blood cultures for infection were negative, ruling out endocarditis. A large, cystic myxoma - a benign tumor - was removed during open-heart surgery. His condition improved markedly and he was removed from the ventilator within 24 hours of surgery.
Publication Name: The New England Journal of Medicine
Subject: Health
ISSN: 0028-4793
Year: 1993
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A 20-year-old man with diffuse pulmonary infiltrates and disseminated intravascular coagulation
Article Abstract:
A 20-year-old man was admitted to the hospital with pneumonia and respiratory failure. His condition indicated sepsis - bacterial infection of the blood - but he continued to deteriorate despite the administration of antibiotics. A lung biopsy revealed disseminated intravascular coagulation - the formation of blood clots in various arteries. He was diagnosed with adult respiratory distress syndrome. He became comatose, and X-ray imaging showed extensive cerebral hemorrhages. He died 11 days after admission. Blood samples taken at admission and on the day of death - as well as tissue from the lung biopsy - were positive for the bacterium Mycoplasma pneumoniae.
Publication Name: The New England Journal of Medicine
Subject: Health
ISSN: 0028-4793
Year: 1992
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A four-month-old girl with chronic cyanosis and diffuse pulmonary infiltrates
Article Abstract:
A four-month-old baby was admitted to a hospital because her skin was blue and she had a history of vomiting, cough, and shortness of breath. She also had Down syndrome. A chest X-ray revealed lung disease. Her doctors suspected interstitial pneumonitis, which is an inflammation of the lungs. This was confirmed by an open-lung biopsy.
Publication Name: The New England Journal of Medicine
Subject: Health
ISSN: 0028-4793
Year: 1999
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