Floating thromboembolism: a case report.

ABSTRACT

Medico legal autopsies are conducted in cases of sudden unexpected deaths, primarily to establish the cause of death. In cases where deaths have occurred in apparently healthy individuals, deaths under suspicious circumstances or who have sustained injuries, pulmonary embolism forms the principal cause of sudden unexpected death. Pulmonary thromboembolism (PTE) is caused when thrombi are detached from the deep vein of the lower leg. The most important causes for incorrect diagnosis are failure to suspect Pulmonary Embolism, and the protean nature of the disease. Presentation is often “atypical”. Signs and symptoms are frequently vague and nonspecific and rarely “classic”. In more than 95% of cases, venous emboli originate from deep leg vein thrombi above the level of the knee. Most pulmonary emboli (60 to 80%) are clinically silent because they are small. Remarkable differences actually exist concerning the point of origin and the final localization, as well as the size and age of thromboemboli, the presence or absence of pulmonary infarction, and the underlying pathology. This paper highlights a rare case of a young individual with minor injuries who succumbed to pulmonary thromboembolism.