A 75-year-old woman and ex-smoker was admitted to the ICU due to respiratory failure secondary to pneumonia. The clinical course proved torpid, with the development of acute respiratory distress syndrome and the need for prolonged mechanical ventilation. Weaning was complicated by the appearance of bilateral pleural effusion, requiring the ultrasound-guided placement of a pleural drain (Pleurocath® 12 French). After 30 min, the patient developed severe hypotension, perspiration and paleness. Following initial stabilization, a chest CT scan was requested, evidencing right hemothorax and a rounded image suggestive of a pseudoaneurysm of the peripheral pulmonary circulation (Fig. 1). After consulting Interventional Radiology, the decision was made to perform pulmonary angiography, which confirmed the existence of an arterial pseudoaneurysm arising from a branch of the right descending lobar artery (Fig. 2). Coil embolization was performed (Fig. 3), followed by a good course, and the patient was discharged to the ward without complications.

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3