Bleeding in the brain, or hemorrhagic stroke, is a life-threatening situation. It typically occurs when an aneurysm, a bulge in a blood vessel, bursts. Brain cells, starved of blood supply, immediately begin to die. Brain tissue begins to swell in response to the bleeding, which can also kill cells.

A brain bleed is a medical emergency that occurs when you have head trauma or suffer a stroke. Brain bleeds can occur within your brain (intracranial hemorrhage) or on the outer portions of your brain (subarachnoid hemorrhage).