An Irish case of pulmonary emboli secondary to clozapine therapy.

Background: Clozapine is the prototype atypical antipsychotic used for treatment-resistant schizophrenia, but its use has been limited by the well-established association with agranulocytosis. An increased risk of other serious adverse events such as myocarditis and thromboembolism has also been suggested to be associated with clozapine therapy.

Objective: We describe an Irish case of multiple pulmonary emboli detected by CT pulmonary angiogram thought to be secondary to clozapine therapy.

Conclusions: Although clozapine is a very efficacious antipsychotic its many side-effects limit its use. Pulmonary embolism must be remembered as a potential rare side-effect in clozapine therapy. Underlying mechanisms are still unclear although several have been proposed.