Watch CBS News

Man Coughs Up Blood Clot In The Shape Of His Lung

A California man with a history of heart problems had a coughing fit so extreme, doctors say, he coughed up a red object that looked like a plant; it was a blood clot perfectly shaped like part of his lung.

The 36-year-old man was admitted to the intensive care unit at University of California, San Francisco with symptoms of chronic heart failure, and during the next week, had coughed up small amounts of blood and had breathing problems. Then, during an  "extreme bout of coughing" he coughed up the clot that was shaped like the entire right bronchial tree, according to an article by Gavitt A. Woodard, M.D. and Georg M. Wieselthaler, M.D., that was published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Unfortunately, the man died of heart failure just over a week later.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.