期刊名称:Journal of Education and Teaching in Emergency Medicine
印刷版ISSN:2474-1949
出版年度:2019
卷号:4
期号:1
页码:1-2
DOI:10.21980/J81M03
出版社:University of California Press
摘要:History of presentillness: An 81-year old male with known history of proximal descending thoracoabdominal
aneurysm presented with shortness of breath, abdominal pain, worsening back pain, and progressive
lethargy. The aneurysm had increased in size from 6 cm to 9 cm over the past year and was being closely
followed.
Significant findings: Computed tomography angiography of the chest and abdomen revealed a 9.5 cm
thoracoabdominal aneurysm (red outline) with intramural hematoma (yellow shading) and large left pleural
effusion versus hemothorax with old blood (blue shading).
Discussion: Acute aortic syndromes(AAS) are a set of highly morbid conditions of the aorta that include aortic
dissection, penetrating atherosclerotic ulcer (PAU), and intramural hematoma (IMH).1-5 Aortic dissection
accounts for 85-95% of all AAS and occurs when there is a lesion of the tunica intima, allowing blood to flow
between the layers of the vessel and forcing them apart.1,4 Stanford type A lesions are confined to the
ascending aorta and require immediate aggressive open surgery due to high mortality (26%-58%), whereas
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Stanford type B lesions occur in the descending aorta and can be managed medically or through thoracic
endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR).1,3,4
The mainstay of medical treatment in patients with an acute aortic dissection is blood pressure control to
less than 120 mm Hg systolic and heart rate control to less than 60 beats per minute.3,6 It is recommended
that initial hemodynamic control is attained by use of beta blockers to decrease the force of left ventricular
ejection.3,6 If further control is needed, vasodilators such as nitroprusside can be used but should not be
given until after beta blockers to limit aortic wall stress and reflex tachycardia.3,6 AAS should be considered
in all patients presenting with severe chest or back pain and hypertension. Chest or back pain has been
reported in more than 80% of patients found to have AAS, whereas pulse deficits are found in 30% of
patients.1,3,6 Another common symptom of AAS is syncope, which has been found in 13% of patients.3,6 The
most common risk factors for AAS include hypertension and atherosclerosis.1,3-4 The preferred diagnosis
method of AAS is CT with a sensitivity and specificity of 100%, or MRI with a sensitivity of 95%-100% and
specificity of 94%-98%.3 Currently, there are no biomarkers to aid in the diagnosis of AAS.6 D-dimer has been
found to have a sensitivity of 51.7% to 100.0% and a specificity of 32.8% to 89.2% at a cutoff level of 0.5
µg/mL in patients with AAS, but further trials are needed to assess its utility.
In this case, after consultation with vascularsurgery and radiology, it was determined the patient would need
extensive debranching open procedure. Patient and family declined and opted for medical management and
was transferred to the intensive care unit where he later passed away.