A Man Coughed Up This Bizarre Blood Clot and His Doctors Can't Explain It
Friday, January 4, 2019 IST
A 36-year-old man dying of heart failure coughed up a six-inch-wide blood clot resembling, almost perfectly, the right bronchial tree of a lung. The clot was completely intact and his doctors aren’t exactly sure how it even happened.
The anonymous patient was being treated for acute end-stage heart failure in the ICU when he coughed up the bronchial tree clot, also known as a cast.
An image of the clot and a description of what led to the cast’s appearance was published by the man’s doctors in the New England Journal of Medicine in late November.
While the image does look eerily similar to a lung, it isn’t one. Despite the old adage, it is thankfully not possible to cough up a lung. According to doctors, “During an extreme bout of coughing, the patient spontaneously expectorated an intact cast of the right bronchial tree.”
The image of the man’s clot is certainly startling but it turns out clots resembling bronchial trees have been previously reported (and photographed). Thanks to Science Alert, you can view the following bronchial tree clots:
There are, however, two glaring differences between the casts noted above and November’s headline worthy cast. The 36-year-old man’s cast is enormous compared to any previously recorded example and he somehow managed to cough it up in one piece without it breaking.
The man’s doctor, Georg Wieselthaler, told The Atlantic that the team of doctors was “astonished.”
“It’s a curiosity you can’t imagine – I mean, this is very, very, very rare.”
The 36-year-old man landed in the ICU after a long history of heart failure. After a series of procedures including valve replacement, stenting, a pacemaker, an Impella ventricular assist device and the medication required including a continuous heparin infusion, he experienced “episodes of small-volume hemoptysis, increasing respiratory distress, and increasing use of supplemental oxygen.” Despite medication, the ventricular assist device, and additional procedures, the man’s heart failure was too severe and as a result, he died just over a week later.
Related Topics
Trending News & Articles
Lung cancer is usually not noticeable during the early stages. Most people are diagnosed when the disease is at an advanced stage. According to Cancer.org, it is ...
Recently posted . 9K views . 2 min read
The health benefits of wood apple include [1] relief from constipation, indigestion, peptic ulcer, piles, respiratory problems, diarrhea, and dysentery. It also b...
Recently posted . 6K views . 2 min read
Bael, also known as the “Wood Apple”, is a species native to India. The bael tree is considered to be sacred to the Hindus. A famous drink known as sh...
Recently posted . 5K views . 2 min read
The scientists likewise shared how much liquor an individual can drink prior to facing overabundance risk challenges their wellbeing, contrasted with somebody who...
Recently posted . 5K views . 1 min read
More in Food & Health
Losing body fat can be a strenuous process. To lose these extra pounds fast, you need to follow some tips and tricks.
Recently posted. 764 views . 0 min read
Food variety means eating a wide variety of foods from each of the five food groups, in the amounts recommended. Eating many different foods helps maintain a health...
Recently posted. 928 views . 2 min read
Ladies, it’s time to reconsider aluminium foils for food packaging and look out for other alternatives to keep your food fresh and warm.
Recently posted. 1K views . 1 min read
Recently posted . 1K views
Recently posted . 1K views
Recently posted . 2K views
Recently posted . 2K views
Recently posted . 2K views . 67 min read
Recently posted . 2K views . 42 min read
New Delhi: Medical specialists have constantly flabbergasted us with the sort of trials they do to cure their patients enduring with rarest of the rare diseases. Ye...
Recently posted. 1K views . 14 min read
Mycoplasma genitalium is a newly found sexually transmitted infection that many people are not even aware of. It can cause irritation and bleeding after sex. Here...
Recently posted. 1K views . 1 min read