Case presentation A 22-year-old man has been admitted to the hospital with severe leg pain. He is known to have sickle cell disease and says his pain is typical of his sickle crises. He was initially given opiate analgesia and intravenous fluids, and after 24 hours, his pain had primarily settled. He now complains of shortness of breath.
Examination This young man is visibly dyspneic and has coarse crackles at both lung bases. S aO 2 : 87 percent on room air pH: 7.43 PO 2 : 7. 4 kPa PCO 2 : 1 kPa Lactate: 7 mmol/L HCO 3 : 24 mmol/L Base excess: +1 mmol/L What is your probable diagnosis for this patient? *This case is from the Editorial Team of Docplexus and is meant for educational purposes only.
