Case Report (n=1)
This case demonstrates that acute pulmonary embolism can rarely present as positional paroxysmal atrial tachycardia, highlighting the need to consider PE in such atypical presentations.
May prompt PE consideration in positional atrial tachycardia; hypothesis-generating and should not yet change practice.
Atrial tachyarrhythmias occur in ~4%–14% of patients presenting with pulmonary embolism (PE),1,2 sinus tachycardia being the most common, followed by atrial tachycardia (AT), atrial fibrillation, and atrial flutter, in that order.1–3 Although AT has been described with PE, its exclusive occurrence with changes in body posture after PE has not been previously reported. In fact, atrial arrhythmia occurring de novo with changes of posture in itself is a rare phenomenon, except perhaps in the setting of positional irritation from a venous catheter in the right atrium4 or possibly sympathetic surge from baroreceptor reflex.
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Nagesh Chopra (2016) conducted a case report in Acute pulmonary embolism with positional paroxysmal atrial tachycardia (n=1). Enoxaparin bridged to warfarin, and metoprolol was evaluated on Resolution of postural palpitations.
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