Alpha 2.0
Login Register
» Articles » PMID: 38076225

Acute Type A Aortic Dissection Diagnosed by POCUS in a 29-year-old Man

Overview
Journal POCUS J
Date 2023 Dec 11
PMID 38076225
Authors
Vladimir Cardenas Lopez
Pablo Blanco
Affiliations
Soon will be listed here.
Abstract

Aortic dissection (AD) is a medical emergency with a poor prognosis if not recognized early and treated promptly. In this setting, clinical data may be equivocal, while electrocardiogram, laboratory tests, and chest radiography often show nonspecific findings. In contrast, cardiac point of care ultrasound (POCUS) has proven useful in the diagnosis and detection of complications of AD. We present the case of a 29-year-old man with marfanoid habitus presenting with chest pain and acute heart failure, in whom cardiac POCUS aided in the rapid diagnosis of type A AD and pulmonary edema. POCUS contributed to optimizing the medical treatment and allowed for early activation of the surgical team.

References
1.
Quien M, Saric M . Ultrasound imaging artifacts: How to recognize them and how to avoid them. Echocardiography. 2018; 35(9):1388-1401. DOI: 10.1111/echo.14116. View
2.
Carmody K, Asaly M, Blackstock U . Point of Care Echocardiography in an Acute Thoracic Dissection with Tamponade in a Young Man with Chest Pain, Tachycardia, and Fever. J Emerg Med. 2016; 51(5):e123-e126. DOI: 10.1016/j.jemermed.2016.06.046. View
3.
MacGillivray T, Gleason T, Patel H, Aldea G, Bavaria J, Beaver T . The Society of Thoracic Surgeons/American Association for Thoracic Surgery Clinical Practice Guidelines on the Management of Type B Aortic Dissection. Ann Thorac Surg. 2022; 113(4):1073-1092. DOI: 10.1016/j.athoracsur.2021.11.002. View
4.
Bossone E, LaBounty T, Eagle K . Acute aortic syndromes: diagnosis and management, an update. Eur Heart J. 2017; 39(9):739-749d. DOI: 10.1093/eurheartj/ehx319. View
5.
Isselbacher E, Preventza O, Hamilton Black 3rd J, Augoustides J, Beck A, Bolen M . 2022 ACC/AHA Guideline for the Diagnosis and Management of Aortic Disease: A Report of the American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology Joint Committee on Clinical Practice Guidelines. Circulation. 2022; 146(24):e334-e482. PMC: 9876736. DOI: 10.1161/CIR.0000000000001106. View