Department of Critical Care Medicine, IQRAA Hospital, Kerala, India
Case Report
A Case of Diffuse Alveolar Haemorrhage in a Postoperative Patient with Lower Limb Fractures
Author(s): Shiraz Assu* and Deepak Bhasin
Fat embolism syndrome is a life-threatening complication in patients with orthopedic trauma, especially after long
bone fractures. It can lead to multi-organ dysfunction with respiratory involvement ranging from mild hypoxia to
severe acute respiratory distress syndrome. Here, we report a case of fat embolism in a patient with lower limb long
bone fractures, which postoperatively lead to Diffuse Alveolar Haemorrhage (DAH). The diagnosis was made only
by a high index of clinical suspicion since DAH is only rarely associated with fat embolism. The patient received
supportive management and a short course of intravenous methylprednisolone following which he showed clinical
improvement... View more»