Abstract

Medical tourism is the pursuit of more affordable surgeries; however, this comes at the risk of suboptimal standards and potential for life-threatening complications. In this case, we describe the diagnostic challenge of cytomegalovirus (CMV) pneumonia in a 40-year-old woman who experienced wound dehiscence and subsequent blood transfusion-transmitted CMV as complications of liposuction in the Dominican Republic. We explore the role of histopathology in the diagnosis of disseminated CMV, discuss the underlying aetiology of CMV pneumonia in this patient and weigh the risks and benefits of initiating antiviral therapy in an immunocompetent patient with CMV disease.