A rare cause of diffuse alveolar hemorrhage: dissection of aorta

Abstract

A 40-year-old male patient with fever, cough, hemoptysis, and dyspnea was taken in for follow-up in intensive care unit under mechanical ventilation support due to bilateral alveolar infiltrations on chest radiograph and acute respiratory failure. Diffuse alveolar hemorrhage was diagnosed with bronchoscopic and radiological evaluation in addition to significant decrease in hemoglobin and hematocrit levels in short time. No cause was detected for diffuse alveolar hemorrhage. Ascending aortic dissection was detected on echocardiography and computed tomography angiography. Aortic root and aortic arch replacement was performed with a decision of urgent operation. Patient's clinical condition improved rapidly postoperatively. In this article, we present an aortic dissection case as a fairly rare cause for diffuse alveolar hemorrhage.