Document Detail


Thoracic aortic dissection in a 38-year-old man.
MedLine Citation:
PMID:  20599144     Owner:  NLM     Status:  MEDLINE    
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
A few days before Christmas, a flight team was activated for an interfacility transfer of a 38-year-old man with a history of hypertension and spinal stenosis diagnosed with a thoracic aortic dissection. The patient was presented to a local community hospital complaining of nearly 5 days of left-sided rib pain. This afternoon when he stood up from a chair, he experienced a near-syncopal episode. Concurrently, he had an abrupt onset of a tearing sensation in his chest that radiated to thoracic spine in the region between his shoulder blades. Ground emergency medical services (EMS) was called, and the patient was transported to the community hospital. During the initial transport and evaluation by the emergency department (ED) staff, the patient was noted to be hypertensive, with a systolic blood pressure greater than 180 mmHg. In the ED, the patient received aspirin, morphine, and Lopressor. He underwent a chest x-ray (Figure 1) and computed tomography (CT) scan and was diagnosed with a type B thoracic aorta dissection, which was noted to start on the descending thoracic aorta distal to the left subclavian artery and extend to the level of the celiac trunk (Figure 2). Despite the initial beta blockade, the patient was noted to be profoundly hypertensive, with initial blood pressure greater than 190 mmHg systolic. The flight team was activated for hemodynamic management and rapid transport to a facility capable of vascular and cardiothoracic surgery.
Authors:
Peter Tilney
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Publication Detail:
Type:  Case Reports; Journal Article    
Journal Detail:
Title:  Air medical journal     Volume:  29     ISSN:  1532-6497     ISO Abbreviation:  Air Med. J.     Publication Date:    2010 Jul-Aug
Date Detail:
Created Date:  2010-07-05     Completed Date:  2010-09-24     Revised Date:  2010-11-22    
Medline Journal Info:
Nlm Unique ID:  9312325     Medline TA:  Air Med J     Country:  United States    
Other Details:
Languages:  eng     Pagination:  136-9     Citation Subset:  H    
Copyright Information:
Copyright 2010 Air Medical Journal Associates. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Affiliation:
Department ofEmergency Medicine at the Albany Medical Center in Albany, NY, USA. tilneyp@mail.amc.edu
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MeSH Terms
Descriptor/Qualifier:
Adult
Aneurysm, Dissecting* / classification,  physiopathology,  radiography
Aortic Aneurysm, Thoracic* / classification,  physiopathology,  radiography
Chest Pain / drug therapy,  etiology
Chronic Disease
Disease Progression
Humans
Hypertension / complications,  drug therapy
Male
Transportation of Patients* / methods
Wounds, Nonpenetrating / complications
Comments/Corrections
Comment In:
Air Med J. 2010 Nov-Dec;29(6):262   [PMID:  21055633 ]

From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine


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