A Microanalytic study of Foreign Body Vasculitis in Infantile Pulmonary Hypertension

Abstract

Foreign body vasculitis has been seen in the pulmonary vessels of infants requiring extensive intravenous therapy but their clinical significance and origin has been unclear. Commercially prepared intravenous solutions and medications can contain a variety of particulates. The chronic injection of illicit solutions prepared from tablets designed for oral use has caused foreigrubody vasculitis in pulmonary vessels with resulting pulmonary hypertension and death. This study demonstrates the utility of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive x-ray analysis (EDX) in the characterization of pulmonary vascular inclusions in an infant who developed foreign body vasculitis and fatal pulmonary hypertension.