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

Abstract

AbstractWe 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.