RESUMO
Although recent progress in surgery for acute traumatic rupture of the thoracic aorta is encouraging, hospital mortality remains high due to associated fatal lesions. Delayed repair of acute aortic rupture, after management of critical lesions, has been reported in the literature with increasing frequency. We present here a successful operative case of a 54-year-old-woman with acute traumatic aortic rupture. She was admitted to the intensive care unit with loss of consciousness, rib fracture and lung contusion in order to investigate additional critical lesions under strict control of systolic blood pressure under 120mmHg. After completion of all diagnostic procedures, aortic repair was performed 2 days after the accident. The intima of the aorta was found to be disrupted for two thirds of the circumference and pseudoaneurysm was diagnosed. A gelatin-coated vascular prosthesis with one branch was interposed under cardiopulmonary bypass during which general heparinization, systemic hypothermia (20°C) and retrograde brain perfusion method were used. She recovered uneventfully and was discharged 2 weeks after the operation.
