The immediate death rate for aortic rupture caused by pointed and sharp-edged instruments is very high; however, delayed aortic rupture following the trauma is rarely reported. A patient who had an upper abdominal stab wound was sent to our hospital, and an emergency exploratory laparotomy was performed. No traumatic aortic rupture was found at that time. However, on the fifth day after surgery, aortic rupture occurred, and a large retroperitoneal hematoma was formed. The patient eventually died. Aortic rupture was confirmed by a second emergency exploratory laparotomy and the autopsy. The information from exploratory laparotomies, post-operative observations and treatments, medical imaging reports, and reasons for delayed aortic rupture, as well as the underlying pathophysiological processes, are discussed in this case report.
Keywords: Delayed aortic rupture; laparotomy; trauma.