The following is a summary of the “Emphysematous Salmonella-Infected Aneurysm of the Aortic Arch: Case Report,” published in the January 2023 issue of Emergency Medicine by Kim, et al.

Even though it occurs infrequently, infected aortic aneurysms cause serious complications and death. Patients with infected aortic arch aneurysms may only exhibit non-specific symptoms like fever and general malaise due to the location of the aneurysm. It may take imaging studies to confirm a diagnosis based solely on a patient’s history and physical examination.

They present a brief case report of a patient presenting to the emergency department with an unexplained fever diagnosed with an emphysematous salmonella-infected aneurysm of the aortic arch. Doctors in the emergency room rarely see something as rare as an infected aortic arch aneurysm. 

Due to the high mortality and morbidity rates associated with this catastrophic disease, infected aortic aneurysms should be considered a possible diagnosis in patients with prolonged fever and non-specific symptoms. Emergency doctors need to be aware of infected aortic arch aneurysms so patients don’t have to wait for a diagnosis.

Source: sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0736467922004929