Case report

Posterior mediastinal hematoma – a rare case following a fall from standing height: a case report

Lakshmi Pasumarthy^1,2

¹  Department of Medicine, York Hospital, York, PA, USA

²  Department of Medicine, Penn State Hershey Medical Centre, Hershey, PA, USA

author email corresponding author email

Journal of Medical Case Reports 2007, 1:185doi:10.1186/1752-1947-1-185

Published:	28 December 2007

Abstract

Introduction

We present a previously unreported complication of a fall from standing height.

Case presentation

A 76-year-old woman sustained blunt chest trauma resulting from a fall from standing height. She was diagnosed with a mediastinal hematoma, and did well with supportive care. Follow up CT angiograms on days 2 and 4 of hospital stay revealed a stable hematoma and she did not require any intervention.

Conclusion

Mediastinal hematoma has been reported secondary to trauma, coagulation abnormalities and hematologic malignancies, but it not been reported secondary to a fall from standing height. Factors predisposing to a hematoma in this case were aspirin therapy and a modest elevation of INR secondary to chronic hepatitis C.