Author: Chris Chung, Graham Johnson, Andrew Tabner / Editor: Nick Tilbury / Codes: ObP3, RC5, RP1, SLO1, SLO2 / Published: 23/06/2021
A 21-year-old woman who is 27/40 pregnant presents to the ED with a complaint of sudden-onset right-sided chest pain which started that morning and varies in intensity, between 4 and 6/10.
She has no history of trauma or any symptoms of infection. Initially only present on inspiration, the pain is now consistent. She also complains of feeling breathless.
She has some discomfort in her left lower leg.
Apart from being pregnant, she has no other risk factors for deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism.
She has a history of depression managed by her GP with fluoxetine; she has no other past medical history and takes no other medication.
She has no significant family history.
She smokes 4 cigarettes/day and stopped drinking alcohol when she found out she was pregnant.
Her pulse is 104 bpm and regular, and her respiratory rate is 20/min. Other observations are unremarkable.
On auscultation she has decreased air entry to the right side of her chest and her heart sounds are normal.
Her calves are normal on examination.
