Sudden death in an adolescent due to primary angiosarcoma of the right atrium

Abstract

A 16 year old male adolescent of African ethnicity presented to a health care facility with a long standing history of chronic coughing. The treating medical practitioner requested a chest X-ray which revealed a large left sided pleural effusion. The patient was subsequently transferred to a referral hospital (one Military Hospital) in Pretoria, South Africa. Shortly after the patient arrived in the casualty department, he was in severe respiratory distress and active resuscitation had to be initiated. Despite full resuscitation efforts, the patient demised.