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- Title
Diagnosis and management of acute aortic dissection in the emergency department.
- Authors
Reed, Matthew J
- Abstract
Acute aortic dissection is often misdiagnosed as a result of its atypical presentations. It affects 4000 patients a year in the UK of all ages, not just older patients, with increasing numbers of cases expected in the future because of the ageing population. Dissection of the aortic wall leads to sudden, severe pain, and commonly end-organ symptoms which must be recognised. Acute aortic dissection can be challenging to diagnose in the emergency department because of the multitude of possible presentations and the need for selective testing with Computed Tomography Angiography (CTA). Clinicians often miss acute aortic dissection because it is not considered in the differential diagnosis, and the challenge lies in identifying acute aortic dissection in a sea of complaints of chest, back and abdominal pain. There are several ways to improve diagnosis, including awareness campaigns, better education about patients in which to consider acute aortic dissection, and improved detection strategies including which patients should receive CTA. Clinical decision tools and biomarkers could help, but further research is required and is a research focus in emergency medicine. Once diagnosed, blood pressure control, analgesia and urgent surgery or transfer to enable this to occur with minimal delay is required.
- Subjects
UNITED Kingdom; MORTALITY prevention; THROMBOSIS surgery; COLD (Temperature); DIAGNOSTIC imaging; LEG; ARM; DEATH; AUTOPSY; DIFFERENTIAL diagnosis; AORTIC dissection; AORTIC diseases; DISEASE management; BLOOD vessels; COMPUTED tomography; HOSPITAL emergency services; MAGNETIC resonance imaging; DIAGNOSTIC errors; ELECTROCARDIOGRAPHY; CARDIAC arrest; QUALITY assurance; BRACHIAL artery
- Publication
British Journal of Hospital Medicine (17508460), 2024, Vol 85, Issue 4, p1
- ISSN
1750-8460
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.12968/hmed.2023.0366