Fatal Excipients: An Autopsy Case Series of Excipient Lung Disease

Crushed oral tablets, when injected intravenously, may induce a foreign body granulomatous reaction in and around pulmonary arterioles, because of the presence of filler materials (excipients). This typically presents as shortness of breath in the context of pulmonary hypertension with arteriolar dilation and centrilobular nodules on imaging modalities. The constellation of findings may be overlooked or misdiagnosed by clinicians and pathologists, ultimately affecting patient care and postmortem assessment. We describe 5 patients with excipient lung disease that had antemortem chronic medical conditions that required a peripherally inserted catheter or port. All 5 patients had intravascular and perivascular deposition of polarizable foreign material within the pulmonary arteries. Foreign body granulomatosis as a result of intravenous drug use was not clinically suspected in any patient, and 2 of the 5 patients were misdiagnosed with mycobacterium infections. Pulmonary congestion, dyspnea, and symptoms of heart failure were noted in 3 patients and 2 had a history of upper arm deep vein thrombosis. We conclude that excipient lung disease may be underdiagnosed cause of dyspnea, pulmonary hypertension, and death in patients with a known history of intravenous drug use.