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Assembly

Looking in the Mirror

Authors
Matthew Gorgone, DO and Stephanie I. Maximous, MD, MS
Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA


Case

A 56-year-old woman with a past medical history of hypertension and diabetes is three weeks into her hospital stay for COVID-19 pneumonia requiring , humidified high flow nasal canula. The pulmonary embolism response team is activated after she has a progressive increase in her oxygen requirement and the team performs point of care ultrasound (POCUS). The parasternal long axis and apical 4 chamber views that were obtained are shown below.

POCUS

Question

What is the most likely diagnosis?

A. Atrial septal defect causing right-to-left shunting
B. Massive pulmonary embolism
C. Pneumothorax
D. Systolic heart failure

Answer