Carotid artery blowout producing massive hematemesis in emergency department

Publication date: Available online 8 January 2016 Source:Journal of Acute Disease Author(s): Harrison K. Borno, Richard Menendez, John C. Chaloupka, Michael T. Dalley, David A. Farcy Carotid blowout syndrome (CBS) is a rare and fatal complication which arises from patients who have been treated for head and neck cancer. The incidence of CBS is rare and not commonly seen by emergency physicians. We review a case of a 68-year-old woman with a history of laryngectomy and chemo-radiation therapy presenting with massive oral bleeding and hypotension. Her course and treatments are highlighted, literatures referring to CBS are described and we reintroduce the approach of managing such a patient in the emergency department.
Source: Journal of Acute Disease - Category: Emergency Medicine Source Type: research