Type‐A acute aortic dissection complicated by parenchymal hemorrhagic stroke: Timing of surgery for a rare presentation of aortic dissection

Abstract

Acute type-A aortic dissection is a rare but life-threatening cardiac surgery emergency. Immediate operative management is important to give patients the best chance of survival. However, where an aortic dissection is complicated by a concurrent hemorrhagic stroke the risks of precipitating a catastrophic intracranial hemorrhage during surgery must be balanced against the risk of aortic rupture. The optimal timing of surgery in this rare presentation of type-A aortic dissection is unknown. In this case report we describe a 67-year-old gentleman who initially presented with neurological symptoms, and was diagnosed with an acute intracerebral hemorrhage, but was subsequently also diagnosed with an acute type-A aortic dissection. He proceeded to have a successful tissue aortic root replacement, total arch replacement with zone two frozen elephant trunk implantation 4weeks after his initial diagnosis.