Septic pulmonary embolism secondary to an infected peripheral venous catheter: a case report

Septic Pulmonary Embolism (SPE) is a rare life-threatening condition in which a thrombus containing a pathogen gets mobilized from a site of infection and gets implanted into the Pulmonary Vasculature system, causing an inflammatory reaction in the lungs. Common causes include Infective Endocarditis, venous thrombophlebitis, IV drug use, etc. Implicated organisms include Staphylococcus Aureus, Klebsiella, Candida, Streptococcus, etc. In this report, a 72-year-old uncontrolled T2DM male with the said disease is described. The diagnosis was made based on the signs and symptoms, with an infected IV cannula insertion site confirmed by the characteristic radiological findings. As it is often underdiagnosed/misdiagnosed, suspicion of SPE should be raised early on when the patient presents in the ER with significant hypoxia with peripheral patchy infiltrates, and should be further evaluated without delay, as it has high morbidity and mortality if not treated promptly. Septic Pulmonary Embolism (SPE) is a rare, lethal, and often underdiagnosed condition that requires a high index of suspicion, the importance of radiology, early diagnosis, and prompt treatment.