A 30-year-old woman with a history of blunt chest trauma -multiple rib and vertebral commune fractures- after a collision.
During hospitalization, she was sedated, on mechanical ventilation, and her clinical condition evolved favorably.
On day 14 of hospital stay, after mobilization, she died suddenly.
A medico-legal autopsy was performed to clarify the cause of death.
On internal examination, 1,300 cc of blood and clots were found in the left thoracic cavity, originating from two millimeters transfixing perforations of the distal portion of the descending aorta and acute arch 7.
1.
Histopathological study of the lesions shows a recent hemorrhagic course throughout the thickness of the artery, with changes in tissue repair in the wall.
The rest of the aorta does not present remarkable morphological alterations.
