Swimming-Induced Pulmonary Edema With Concomitant Myocardial Injury: Case Report and Review of the Literature
Abstract
Background: Swimming-induced pulmonary edema (SIPE) is an underrecognized cause of acute dyspnea in healthy athletes. Risk factors include older age, female sex, asthma, and underlying cardiopulmonary disease.
Case summary: A 49-year-old man developed acute dyspnea during the swimming portion of a triathlon. On presentation, he exhibited hypoxemia, crackles, and radiographic pulmonary edema. Troponin elevation prompted further cardiac imaging, revealing preserved left ventricular function and focal acute myocardial edema. He was diagnosed with SIPE with concomitant myocardial injury; his condition improved with supportive care.
Review summary: SIPE is a hydrostatic imbalance triggered by cold-water immersion, exertion, and external thoracic compression. Symptoms resolve rapidly with supportive care, and outcomes are generally positive, but recurrence can occur in up to 28% of patients. The presence of myocardial injury is an uncommon finding in SIPE, and it is unclear if this finding preceded or was secondary to it.
Take-home message: SIPE may present with atypical findings including myocardial injury, and cardiologists must be vigilant to prevent misdiagnosis.
How strong is the evidence?
Evidence Hub reads this as a case report, done in people. Its evidence level is 5 of 5 (Very low · case / narrative / animal / in vitro / in silico). Case reports, narrative reviews, and animal, cell or computer-model studies give the weakest evidence for human health.
Read the paper
Related studies
- Drug repositioning: a brief overview
- Cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterases in Drosophila melanogaster
- Time-resolved in silico modeling of fine-tuned cAMP signaling in platelets: feedback loops, titrated phosphorylations and pharmacological modulation
- Current View on Green Tea Catechins Formulations, Their Interactions with Selected Drugs, and Prospective Applications for Various Health Conditions
- In silico Structure-based Identification of Novel Acetylcholinesterase Inhibitors Against Alzheimer’s Disease
- Development and In Vitro Evaluation of Controlled Release Viagra® Containing Poloxamer-188 Using Gastroplus™ PBPK Modeling Software for In Vivo Predictions and Pharmacokinetic Assessments
Go deeper in Evidence Hub
Evidence Hub adds a study data sheet (design, sample size, evidence level, key numbers), an AI summary and a chat grounded in the paper's text.