Acute dyspnea following knee joint total endoprosthesis – a diagnostic surprise

Bojan Miletic; Anna Röschel; Zeljko Jovanovic; Udo Courteney

doi:10.18502/fem.v7i4.14478

Bojan Miletic Department of Rehabilitation and Geriatrics, Luzerner Kantonsspital Wolhusen, Switzerland.
Anna Röschel Department of Rehabilitation and Geriatrics, Luzerner Kantonsspital Wolhusen, Switzerland.
Zeljko Jovanovic Faculty of Health studies, University of Rijeka, Croatia.
Udo Courteney Department of Rehabilitation and Geriatrics, Luzerner Kantonsspital Wolhusen, Switzerland.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18502/fem.v7i4.14478

Keywords: Airway Obstruction; Diagnosis; Dyspnea; Goiter

Abstract

Acute dyspnea, sometimes dramatic, is most often caused by cardiovascular or respiratory disease. However, although rare, thyroid dysfunction may present a similar clinical picture with equally serious and life-threatening consequences. Therefore, every occurrence of acute dyspnea represents a special medical challenge in diagnosis and treatment.

We present a case of 81-year-old male admitted to the rehabilitation department five days after a knee joint total endoprosthesis and developed acute dyspnea two days later. An emergency diagnostic was performed and confirmed an airway stenosis through a previously undiagnosed enlarged thyroid gland.

Although in most cases an acute life-threatening postoperative dyspnea indicates a cardiac or pulmonary problem, other diseases must be taken into consideration.