Elderly Man With Right Lower Leg Numbness

Abstract

An 80-year-old man with atrial fibrillation presented to the emergency department with a 4-hour history of right lower leg numbness. His blood pressure was 140/80 mm Hg; pulse rate, 70 beats/min; and temperature, 37.0°C (98.6 °F). Physical examination was noteworthy for brown discoloration to the right lower leg (Figure 1). His electrocardiogram showed atrial fibrillation. Color Doppler ultrasound of bilateral lower extremity arteries showed a mobile thrombus occluding the bifurcation of the right common femoral artery and a thrombus occluding the right popliteal artery, where only linear blood flow was detected (Figure 2 and Videos 1 and 2).