  The patient is a 49-year-old man who was admitted to the hospital in respiratory distress, and had to be intubated shortly after admission to the emergency room. The patient’s past history is notable for a history of coronary artery disease with prior myocardial infarctions in 1995 and 1999. The patient has recently been admitted to the hospital with pneumonia and respiratory failure. The patient has been smoking up until three to four months previously. On the day of admission, the patient had the sudden onset of severe dyspnea and called an ambulance. The patient denied any gradual increase in wheezing, any increase in cough, any increase in chest pain, any increase in sputum prior to the onset of his sudden dyspnea.