RARE CAROTID ARTERY BLOWOUT EMPHASIZES NEED FOR RECOGNITION OF SYMPTOMS AND SWIFT TREATMENT

Carotid Artery Blowout Emphasizes Need for Recognition of Symptoms and Swift Treatment

In a recent case study, Jeniann Yi, MD, details the experience of a 37-year-old kidneypancreas transplant patient.

Carotid artery blowout, while rare, is a life-threatening surgical emergency with a mortality rate approaching 60%. For the surgical team caring for a 37-year-old kidney-pancreas transplant patient who experienced carotid blowout (CB), this unexpected and extremely serious medical event highlighted the importance of prompt recognition and swift surgical treatment for CB.

In a recently published case study detailing the man’s CB, Ali Hakimi, a fourth-year medical student in the University of Colorado School of Medicine, and Jeniann Yi, MD, an assistant professor of vascular surgery in the CU Department of Surgery, outline this unexpected outcome for a patient with no known history of neck surgery or instrumentation.