Emergency department diagnosis of upper extremity deep venous thrombosis using bedside ultrasonography

Tony Rosen; Betty Chang; Martha Kaufman; Mary Soderman; David C Riley

doi:10.1186/2036-7902-4-4

Emergency department diagnosis of upper extremity deep venous thrombosis using bedside ultrasonography

Crit Ultrasound J. 2012 Apr 16;4(1):4. doi: 10.1186/2036-7902-4-4.

Authors

Tony Rosen¹, Betty Chang, Martha Kaufman, Mary Soderman, David C Riley

Affiliation

¹ Emergency Medicine Department, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, 10032, USA. dr499@columbia.edu.

Abstract

A 27-year-old man presents to the emergency department with a 1-day history of severe right upper extremity pain and swelling. The patient's status is post open reduction internal fixation for a left tibial plateau fracture, which was complicated by methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus osteomyelitis. A peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC) line was subsequently placed for intravenous antibiotic therapy. Emergency department bedside ultrasound examination of both the right axillary vein and subclavian vein near the PICC line tip revealed deep venous thrombosis of both veins. Bedside upper extremity vascular ultrasonography can assist in the rapid diagnosis of upper extremity deep venous thrombosis in the emergency department.