Upper extremity deep venous thrombosis leading to pulmonary embolism after total hip arthroplasty

Upper extremity deep venous thrombosis most commonly occurs secondary to the presence of subclavian central venous catheters. Of all upper extremity deep venous thromboses, 12% may cause pulmonary embolism; however, pulmonary embolism from a so-called primary thrombosis is uncommon. We report an unusual case of pulmonary embolism after primary deep venous thrombosis in the down arm after total hip arthroplasty.