Pulmonary embolism with floating thrombus in right atrium complicated by ischemic stroke during systemic fibrinolysis

Acute pulmonary embolism (PE) is the third most common cause of cardiovascular death in Europe. The presence of a floating thrombus in the right sections, is a life-threatening condition in which the most appropriate treatment is not well established. The management of this setting is still uncertain, particularly in cases of thrombosis straddling the patent foramen ovale (PFO). The stratification and treatment of PE do not consider the presence of intracardiac floating thrombosis. We describe the case of a female, 69-years-old, presenting to the emergency department because of sudden onset of dyspnea and pre-syncope. An echocardiogram was performed, showing a massive floating thrombus both in the right and left atrium, passing through a PFO. The patient underwent systemic thrombolysis with alteplase. After 1 h of infusion, sudden onset of left facio-brachio-crural hemiplegia occurred. An urgent cerebral angiographic computed tomography was performed with evidence of acute occlusion of the right M1 branch treated with mechanical thrombectomy. The presence of intracardiac thrombosis in both right and left cardiac chambers with involvement of the fossa ovalis added a further level of management complexity. To date, no clear therapeutic strategies are recommended in these clinical settings.

•The presence of floating thrombosis in the right sections is a life-threatening condition and could be considered in the risk stratification of pulmonary embolism•The presence of intracardiac thrombosis straddling the foramen ovale is a condition that poses additional difficulties in choosing the correct therapeutic approach during massive pulmonary embolis.