Airway and circulatory collapse due to retropharyngeal hematoma after blunt vertebral artery injury.
Am J Emerg Med
; 35(5): 806.e5-806.e7, 2017 May.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-27988252
ABSTRACT
Retropharyngeal hematoma following blunt cervical spine injury is a known cause of airway obstruction, but it is not known to cause hemorrhagic shock. We report the case of a massive retropharyngeal hematoma caused by a blunt vertebral artery transection leading simultaneously to airway obstruction and hemorrhagic shock. An 83-year-old woman was injured in a motorcycle accident. In the field, the patient exhibited paradoxical breathing with no breath sounds, and her blood pressure could not be measured. Therefore, emergency intubation and fluid resuscitation were initiated and the patient was transferred to the emergency department. Computed tomography angiography revealed a massive retropharyngeal hematoma with contrast extravasation from the right vertebral artery, which caused airway obstruction and hemorrhagic shock. The right vertebral artery was transected at the C5 level, which was associated with C4/C5 dislocation. Vertebral artery transection was successfully treated by endovascular embolization, which was followed by complication of asymptomatic posterior circulation stroke. Blunt vertebral artery transection can cause massive retropharyngeal hematoma, which can rapidly expand and lead to hemorrhagic shock in addition to airway obstruction. In cases of massive retropharyngeal hematoma with hemorrhagic shock following blunt cervical spine injury, blunt vertebral artery transection should be suspected. If blunt vertebral artery transection is detected and hemorrhagic shock is persistent, endovascular embolization should be performed immediately in addition to emergency intubation.
Palabras clave
Texto completo:
1
Colección:
01-internacional
Base de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Choque
/
Traumatismos Vertebrales
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Heridas no Penetrantes
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Enfermedades Faríngeas
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Obstrucción de las Vías Aéreas
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Hematoma
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Intubación Intratraqueal
Tipo de estudio:
Etiology_studies
Límite:
Aged80
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Female
/
Humans
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Am J Emerg Med
Año:
2017
Tipo del documento:
Article