TITLE:
Ruptured Splenic Artery Aneurysm (SAA) in an Elderly Patient with Hypercoagulability: A Very Vague Presentation
AUTHORS:
Stuart Wynn, Amin Shams Akhtari
KEYWORDS:
Splenic Artery Aneurysm (SAA), Hypercoagulability, CT Aortography
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Emergency Medicine,
Vol.12 No.2,
June
26,
2024
ABSTRACT: Here, we discuss a 78-year-old woman with symptoms of shortness of breath and intermittent productive cough, which worsened over time. She had a history of Factor V Leiden and unprovoked pulmonary embolism (PE) and was on lifelong warfarin. The patient was found to have a widened mediastinum and a small left-sided pleural effusion on chest X-ray, leading to CT aortogram to assess for aortic pathology. While in the CT scanner, she experienced an acute deterioration and went into shock. The initial diagnosis was anaphylactic reaction to the contrast agent, but the CT images revealed an active bleeding in the left upper quadrant, possibly of splenic origin. The patient was stabilized with aggressive resuscitation measures and transferred to a referral hospital for urgent surgery. The surgery revealed a ruptured splenic artery aneurysm (SAA), and the patient was taken to the intensive care unit (ICU) for further management. However, she developed a large infarct in the left occipital lobe and passed away after six days. The case highlights the significance of recognizing the symptoms and signs of SAA and then taking a multidisciplinary approach in managing SAA patients, particularly those with hypercoagulability (Graphic 1).