We present a rare case of a patient with concurrent fat embolism and pulmonary embolism, in a closed femur fracture with patent foramen ovale (PFO). A 24-year-old man was involved in a motor vehicle accident with a closed left midshaft femur fracture. He developed fat embolism syndrome (FES) on day 3 of admission, and plating was performed. The D-dimer concentration was also high, which raised the suspicion of pulmonary artery embolism. Computed tomography pulmonary angiography (CTPA) revealed right inferior lobar pulmonary artery embolism and FES. A transthoracic echocardiogram (TEE) was performed, which showed a PFO. The presence of a PFO in patients with pulmonary embolism increases the risk of systemic embolism. Therefore, we recommend the routine echocardiogram for patients with pulmonary embolism to exclude any cardiac defect in causing right-to-left shunts, which predisposes the patient to paradoxical embolism.
The sural nerve is a commonly encountered anatomical structure in foot and ankle surgeries. Knowledge of its location and course is imperative in performing surgeries within its vicinity to avoid neurological deficits. We herein report a rare anatomical variation of the sural nerve where it trifurcates above the level of the lateral malleolus that was discovered in a patient who underwent internal fixation for a trimalleolar ankle fracture with ipsilateral navicular fracture. This study aimed to raise awareness on a unique anatomical variation of the sural nerve in order to reduce the risk of iatrogenic injury.