Needle Pulmonary Embolism in an Intravenous Drug User: a Case Report

Pulmonary needle embolization in intravenous drug users is rarely reported in the literature. The management of these patients is controversial. We presented a male patient aged 33 years old who presented with a broken needle in the left arm after a trial of self-drug injection. During the trial to retrieve the needle, it embolized to the lung. Chest X-ray and CT scan showed the needle in the right lower lobe. We managed the patient conservatively; then, the patient was discharged on antiplatelet therapy. After the 6-month follow-up, the patient was asymptomatic with no complication.