A bronchial cast

 Yes, this is exactly what it looks like... 😱

This 15 centimetre long, perfectly intact blood clot was coughed up in one piece. What makes it even more remarkable is that it’s an exact cast of the right bronchial tree—the branching network of airways that carries air to and from the lungs.

🫁 How did this happen?

The patient had a history of heart failure and was receiving anticoagulation therapy. In rare cases, like this one, blood can coagulate within the bronchial tree. When it detaches, it can be expelled in a single piece, creating a hauntingly accurate "bronchial cast."

💉 The Science Behind It:

Blood clots that form in the airways are known as 'casts' when they replicate the airway's shape. This phenomenon is more commonly associated with conditions like plastic bronchitis (where the cast is formed in rubbery sputum), though it’s exceedingly rare for a thrombus cast this large to be expectorated intact.

🧠 Medical students, reflect:

The body can surprise us, even in its pathology. What other rare or unusual cases have made you stop and say, "How is that even possible?"

📖 Read more here:  https://buff.ly/2BFMCLJ

📸 Image credit: GEORG WIESELTHALER / THE NEW ENGLAND JOURNAL OF MEDICINE ©2018