An Unusual Case of Refractory Hypoxia on the ICU

We present the case of a 68-year-old gentleman who presented with breathlessness and was found to have NSTEMI, pulmonary oedema, and hypoxia. He remained hypoxic despite appropriate treatment and was found to have preserved LV function and raised cardiac output. CT pulmonary angiogram was negative b...

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Main Authors: Caroline Phillips, Clare Harris, Nathaniel Broughton, Thomas Pulimood, Liam Ring
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2018-01-01
Series:Case Reports in Critical Care
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2018/3417259
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author Caroline Phillips
Clare Harris
Nathaniel Broughton
Thomas Pulimood
Liam Ring
author_facet Caroline Phillips
Clare Harris
Nathaniel Broughton
Thomas Pulimood
Liam Ring
author_sort Caroline Phillips
collection DOAJ
description We present the case of a 68-year-old gentleman who presented with breathlessness and was found to have NSTEMI, pulmonary oedema, and hypoxia. He remained hypoxic despite appropriate treatment and was found to have preserved LV function and raised cardiac output. CT pulmonary angiogram was negative but a cirrhotic liver was incidentally noted and later confirmed via ultrasound. Bedside examination was positive for orthodeoxia, suggesting a diagnosis of hepatopulmonary syndrome (HPS). The finding of significant intrapulmonary shunting on “bubble” echocardiography confirmed the diagnosis. This patient did not have previously diagnosed liver disease and had largely normal LFTs when the diagnosis was first suspected. We discuss HPS in the context of ICU and suggest how it may be screened for using simple tests. There is no correlation between the presence of HPS and severity of liver disease, yet we believe this is the first reported adult case of HPS on the ICU without previously diagnosed cirrhosis.
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spelling doaj-art-a3e86b1c2d0b4324944f4d3fbe03cc7b2025-08-20T03:38:24ZengWileyCase Reports in Critical Care2090-64202090-64392018-01-01201810.1155/2018/34172593417259An Unusual Case of Refractory Hypoxia on the ICUCaroline Phillips0Clare Harris1Nathaniel Broughton2Thomas Pulimood3Liam Ring4Department of Anaesthesia and Critical Care, West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust, Bury St Edmunds, UKDepartment of Respiratory Medicine, West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust, Bury St Edmunds, UKDepartment of Anaesthesia and Critical Care, West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust, Bury St Edmunds, UKDepartment of Respiratory Medicine, West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust, Bury St Edmunds, UKDepartment of Cardiology, West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust, Bury St Edmunds, UKWe present the case of a 68-year-old gentleman who presented with breathlessness and was found to have NSTEMI, pulmonary oedema, and hypoxia. He remained hypoxic despite appropriate treatment and was found to have preserved LV function and raised cardiac output. CT pulmonary angiogram was negative but a cirrhotic liver was incidentally noted and later confirmed via ultrasound. Bedside examination was positive for orthodeoxia, suggesting a diagnosis of hepatopulmonary syndrome (HPS). The finding of significant intrapulmonary shunting on “bubble” echocardiography confirmed the diagnosis. This patient did not have previously diagnosed liver disease and had largely normal LFTs when the diagnosis was first suspected. We discuss HPS in the context of ICU and suggest how it may be screened for using simple tests. There is no correlation between the presence of HPS and severity of liver disease, yet we believe this is the first reported adult case of HPS on the ICU without previously diagnosed cirrhosis.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2018/3417259
spellingShingle Caroline Phillips
Clare Harris
Nathaniel Broughton
Thomas Pulimood
Liam Ring
An Unusual Case of Refractory Hypoxia on the ICU
Case Reports in Critical Care
title An Unusual Case of Refractory Hypoxia on the ICU
title_full An Unusual Case of Refractory Hypoxia on the ICU
title_fullStr An Unusual Case of Refractory Hypoxia on the ICU
title_full_unstemmed An Unusual Case of Refractory Hypoxia on the ICU
title_short An Unusual Case of Refractory Hypoxia on the ICU
title_sort unusual case of refractory hypoxia on the icu
url http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2018/3417259
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