Post-traumatic pulmonary embolism in the setting of cough-variant asthma

Abstract

Post-traumatic pulmonary embolism (PE) poses diagnostic complexities, especially with underlying lung pathologies and delayed symptoms. We report a 43-year-old male who presented with cough, frothy sputum, and dyspnea following blunt chest trauma 2 weeks ago. Due to a history of asthma, an asthma exacerbation was suspected but he failed to respond to bronchodilator therapy. Doppler USG (ultrasonography) was negative for deep venous thrombi, however, elevated D-dimer levels prompted further investigation with computed tomography pulmonary angiography (CTPA), confirming the diagnosis of PE. Prompt initiation of anticoagulation and thrombolysis resulted in clinical improvement. This case underscores the need to rule out posttraumatic PE, irrespective of age, type of, or time since injury, and underlying lung disease, to ensure timely diagnosis and intervention.