An unusual cause of pulmonary edema

Abstract

Primary cardiac tumors are rare malignancies. Patients may present with congestive cardiac failure due to intracavitary obstruction to blood flow, valvular dysfunction, embolic phenomena, local invasion resulting in arrhythmias, pericardial involvement, constitutional symptoms, or paraneoplastic syndromes. We describe the case of a previously fit 79-year-old woman who presented with acute pulmonary edema due to a large left atrial pleomorphic sarcoma causing severe functional mitral stenosis. She underwent palliative debulking surgery with good symptomatic relief.