A rare case of dual diagnosis in a 16-year-old girl with shortness of breath

Pneumothorax and pulmonary embolism (PE) are two life-threatening causes of shortness of breath in patients presenting to the emergency department. A rare but more serious presentation is that of simultaneous PE and pneumothorax. We present the case of a young patient, with no known comorbidities, who presented with simultaneous submassive PE and pneumothorax. We will review how these two diagnoses may be related, consider the implications of having this dual diagnosis on the patient’s management and review the current evidence surrounding thrombolysis in submassive PE.