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Case studies in acute aortic dissection: Strategies to avoid a catastrophic outcome
Author(s) -
Sixsmith Diane M.
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
journal of healthcare risk management
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.221
H-Index - 16
eISSN - 2040-0861
pISSN - 1074-4797
DOI - 10.1002/jhrm.5600250206
Subject(s) - medicine , aortic dissection , chest pain , catastrophic illness , abdominal pain , marfan syndrome , stroke (engine) , aortic aneurysm , dissection (medical) , surgery , presentation (obstetrics) , back pain , aneurysm , radiology , intensive care medicine , aorta , mechanical engineering , alternative medicine , pathology , engineering
Aortic dissection is a catastrophic illness that is a significant source of liability for hospitals if diagnosis and treatment are not done promptly. The diagnosis is often difficult to make because not all dissections have the typical presentation of sudden severe chest pain radiating to the back. Symptoms often include abdominal pain, flu‐like complaints, vomiting and diarrhea, low back pain, stroke syndromes and syncope. Patients at risk include those with Marfan syndrome and other connective tissue diseases, familial aortic disease, age and hypertension. Aortic dissection is a different clinical entity than abdominal aortic aneurysm. Strategies to reduce risk and improve outcome include staff education on various presentations and risk factors, rapid availability of diagnostic testing modalities such as chest CT scan or transesophageal echocardiogram, and protocols to ensure prompt transfer for cardiothoracic surgery.