A 28-Year-Old Pregnant Woman With a Lung Abscess and Complicated Pleural Effusion

Abstract

Case Presentation: A 28-year-old woman G1P0 at 22 weeks of gestation and with no significant medical history presented to the ED complaining of worsening dyspnea and right-sided pleuritic chest pain. Symptoms started 2 weeks before presentation, with minimal productive cough and dyspnea on exertion. One week after the initial symptoms, the patient started noticing right-sided chest and shoulder pain along with subjective fevers and night sweats. She denied hemoptysis, weight loss, abdominal pain, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, arthralgia, or rash. Her pregnancy had so far been uncomplicated. The patient did not use tobacco, alcohol, or recreational drugs. She worked at a daycare center but denied any particular sick contacts. She moved to the United States 7 years ago from Sudan and denied any recent travel.