Point-of-care ultrasound-assisted diagnosis of gastric vessel rupture in a young man presenting with chest pain: A cautionary tale

Abstract

We report a young male patient who presented with chest and shoulder tip pain with spontaneous intraperitoneal haemorrhage (haemoperitoneum) due to gastric vessel rupture. Point-of-care ultrasound detected abdominal free fluid, which led to a CT scan of the abdomen and reached the diagnosis. Intra-abdominal bleeding can present as referred chest or shoulder tip pain, as more commonly seen in females with pelvic pathologies. Point-of-care ultrasound may add diagnostic value with the detection of a haemoperitoneum in this context.

Keywords: abdominal apoplexy/intra‐abdominal haemorrhage; gastric vessel rupture; haemoperitoneum; point‐of‐care ultrasound (POCUS); referred pain; ultrasonography.