Open AccessDelayed Diagnosis of Pulmonary Thromboembolism Due to Overfocus on COVID-19
Author(s) -
Yukinori Harada,
Taro Shimizu
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
european journal of case reports in internal medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.125
H-Index - 1
ISSN - 2284-2594
DOI - 10.12890/2020_002002
Subject(s) - covid-19 , medicine , pandemic , disease , venous thromboembolism , pediatrics , intensive care medicine , psychiatry , pathology , thrombosis , infectious disease (medical specialty) , outbreak
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has made it difficult for physicians to follow their usual diagnostic processes. We present the case of a 25-year-old man with adjustment disorder who developed dyspnoea. He was concerned about COVID-19, but his test result was negative. After excluding COVID-19, the physician concluded that his symptoms were related to his psychiatric condition. However, the patient was diagnosed with pulmonary thromboembolism by another physician. To avoid missing a diagnosis, physicians must practice zero-based thinking, regardless of COVID-19 concerns, and not be distracted from the patient's core problems.