Rupture of an ascending aortic aneurysm as a cause of sudden death

• Published in: Autopsy & case reports Vol. 6; no. 3; pp. 23 - 28
• Main Authors: de Freitas, Cristielle Peres, Petrini, Carla Andrade, Araújo, Ramon Souza Goes, Lima, Luiz Guilherme Cernaglia Aureliano, Picciarelli de Lima, Patrícia, Duarte-Neto, Amaro Nunes
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Brazil São Paulo, SP: Universidade de São Paulo, Hospital Universitário 30-09-2016; University of São Paulo
• Subjects: Aortic Aneurysm; Atherosclerosis; Autopsy Case Report; Death; Sudden; Death, Sudden; Aortic Aneurysm; Atherosclerosis
• ISSN: 2236-1960; 2236-1960
• DOI: 10.4322/acr.2016.044

An 84-year-old female patient was brought to the emergency department in cardiac arrest. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation maneuvers were performed but were unsuccessful. The patient had a past medical history of systemic arterial hypertension with target-organ lesions, including stroke and myocardial infarction. The autopsy was carried out, and the most striking finding was cardiac tamponade due to the rupture of an ascending aortic aneurysm at the site of a complex atheromatous plaque. Rupture is the most serious complication of a thoracic aneurysm and must be considered in the differential diagnosis of sudden death.