Septic Pulmonary Embolism Due to Dialysis Catheter

A septic pulmonary embolism develops with nonspecific pulmonary symptoms, including pulmonary infiltrations, fever, chest pain and cough as a secondary effect of any infectious focus, leading to the hematogenous spread of coagulated blood containing microorganisms from the right heart to the lungs. The condition can lead to the formation of infarctions and abscesses in patients with such predisposing conditions as congenital heart disease, intravenous drug use and long-term catheter use. We present here a case of septic pulmonary embolism resulting from the use of a dialysis catheter.