Carotid Artery Tear in a Teenager

Carotid Artery Tear in a Teenager

The body's vascular system is a complex and specific network of arteries and veins. Even the slightest nick in these blood vessels can lead to rapid and fatal blood loss. It is essential to understand what happens when one of the body's arteries is damaged. A tear in an artery can cause someone to bleed to death quickly. Signs of severe blood loss include:

• At 15% blood loss, individuals will start to notice their heart rate rise. Their blood pressure will remain stable.
• At 30% blood loss, their blood pressure will start to drop. Individuals may appear confused and lethargic.
• Once 40% blood loss is reached, people will start to lose consciousness. This amount of blood loss can be fatal.

Sometimes, a tear doesn't just lead to blood loss but can cause clots to form as well. These clots can be deadly.

A Case Report: Carotid Artery Tear in a Teenager

A young man recently got his drivers' license and was driving on the highway when he got into in a car accident. Fortunately, he was wearing his seat belt. He rear-ended the car in front of him, and the airbag deployed. His face struck the airbag with significant force. Due to the nature of the accident, emergency medical personnel were called to the scene. He was found to have substantial scrapes and bruises but was still conscious. He was a bit confused, so there was a concern for a traumatic brain injury. Because of these concerns, he was taken to a nearby hospital. While there, his confusion worsened. He also started complaining of numbness and tingling throughout his arms and legs. Despite his age, there was concern that he had suffered a stroke. He received a brain MRI, which confirmed their findings. An MRI of the neck showed that he had torn his carotid artery. This severe blood vessel injury caused clot formation and the arteries supplying blood to the brain. This clot traveled up the artery and into the brain, causing a stroke. He was taken to the operating room, and the tear in his carotid artery was repaired.

Image Attribution: The image at the start of this page can be found in its original form on Unsplash. The photo has been shown here with permission
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