Emergency Neurosurgery in a Patient with a Large Thoracic Aortic Aneurysm: Sitting on a Bomb

Thoracic aortic aneurysms larger than 5 cm are associated with a fatal risk of rupture, and their diagnosis is usually followed by urgent surgical repair. Other complications associated with this condition include heart failure, myocardial infarction, and stroke. Literature regarding management of these patients for emergency noncardiac surgeries is scarce, with anecdotal reports advising both surgeries in the same sitting. However, neurosurgical procedures present a unique challenge in this situation, since systemic anticoagulation may be associated with a rebleed within the cranial vault. In this case report, we present an extremely rare and challenging scenario, wherein a patient with a 6.2-cm thoracic aortic aneurysm underwent subdural hematoma evacuation prior to aneurysmal repair.