Platypnea-orthodeoxia syndrome related to patent foramen ovale: unfrequent complication post right pneumonectomy

Abstract

The platipnea-orthodeoxia syndrome is catacterized by dyspnea and hypoxemia in upright position which improve in the supine position. Two conditions must exist, one basal (anatomical) and a functional one that manifests the hypoxemia in erect position. Such syndrome is caused by alterations at the cardiac and / or pulmonary level. In the right-to-left intracardiac shunt through interauricular communication, the mechanism of postural hypoxemia is redirecting the flow of the inferior vena cava to the interatrial septum by post-surgical distortion of anatomical relationships. The diagnosis is suspected by the clinic and confirmed by echocardiography. This paper presents a case of a 48 -year- old woman with platipnea-orthodeoxia syndrome, due to patent foramen ovale as a complication after oncologic right pneumonectomy