Delayed Death from Complete Aortic Transection: Case Report

Abstract

Blunt chest trauma is a common cause of morbidity and mortality in road traffic accident. One of the lifethreatening injuries is traumatic aortic injury. The authors reported a case of delayed death from blunt chest trauma in a young Thai male, who had a traffic accident 2 weeks prior to his death. The autopsy revealed complete transection of thoracic aorta at the isthmus and false aneurysm formation. The clinical findings and mechanism of traumatic aortic injury are reviewed. Traumatic aortic injury is a fatal blunt chest trauma in which the victims rarely survive to the hospital. Prompt diagnosis and early surgical treatment can decrease morbidity and mortality.