Upper airway hematoma: An unusual presentation of acute upper airway obstruction

Adrita Ashraf; Mark Bannon; Chelsea Smith; Prashant Kaushik; Creticus Marak

doi:10.1016/j.rmcr.2022.101612

Upper airway hematoma: An unusual presentation of acute upper airway obstruction

Respir Med Case Rep. 2022 Feb 19:36:101612. doi: 10.1016/j.rmcr.2022.101612. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Adrita Ashraf¹, Mark Bannon¹, Chelsea Smith¹, Prashant Kaushik², Creticus Marak³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Medicine, Northeastern Health System, Tahlequah, OK, USA.
² Department of Medicine, Rheumatology, Oklahoma State University College of Osteopathic Medicine, Tahlequah, OK, USA.
³ Department of Medicine, Pulmonary and Critical Care, Oklahoma State University College of Osteopathic Medicine, Tahlequah, OK, USA.

Abstract

Acute upper airway obstruction secondary to supraglottic hematoma is a rare but life-threatening complication of oral anticoagulants, particularly with warfarin. Symptoms include sore throat, dysphagia, odynophagia, dysphonia, neck swelling, and dyspnea. We are reporting a case of an elderly male on warfarin therapy who developed acute upper airway obstruction due to spontaneous supraglottic hemorrhage. Commonly reported sites of spontaneous bleeding are the sublingual and retropharyngeal spaces.

Keywords: Hematoma; Upper airway obstruction; Warfarin.

Publication types

Case Reports