title: Pulmonary and paradoxical embolism with platypnoea-orthodeoxia.
abstract: This article outlines the case of a 62-year-old man who presented with a deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolus and right middle cerebral artery territory ischaemic stroke in association with a patent foramen ovale with right-to-left shunting. Despite anticoagulation, he was noted to have desaturation and tachypnoea when upright, without other symptoms or  cardiovascular compromise, that resolved on lying down. The article describes the syndrome of platypnoea-orthodeoxia, characterized by breathlessness, hypoxia and/or cyanosis while in the upright position that improves on lying down, its relationship to this case, and its resolution by closure of the patent foramen ovale.
authors.affiliation: Department of ageing and Health, St. Thomas's Hospital, London.
authors.forename: Santhosh
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Seetharaman
authors.forename: Boris
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Lams
authors.forename: Anthony
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rudd
authors.forename: Jonathan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Birns
mesh_terms: D004417:Dyspnea / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D019320:Embolism, Paradoxical / Q000150:complications*; D054092:Foramen Ovale, Patent / Q000150:complications*; D006801:Humans; D000860:Hypoxia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D020244:Infarction, Middle Cerebral Artery / Q000150:complications; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011655:Pulmonary Embolism / Q000150:complications*; D020246:Venous Thrombosis / Q000150:complications