Patent Foramen Ovale: An Unusual Cause of Refractory Hypoxemia

Case Report

We report the case of a 70-year-old woman with a history of cryptogenic ischemic stroke for which she underwent intravenous fibrinolysis with no neurological sequelae. She had no known history of pulmonary or heart disease.

Approximately 1.5 years later, she presented to the Emergency Department (ED) with a one-week history of cough, fatigue, and shortness of breath. She denied fever, chest pain, orthopnea, or paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea.

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