This site is intended for healthcare professionals

Go to /sign-in page

You can view 5 more pages before signing in

High risk features for a diagnosis of an aortic dissection

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

Authoring team

American Heart Association has described three categories of high risk features which indicate patients at greatest risk:

  • high risk predisposing conditions
    • Marfan's syndrome
    • recent aortic manipulation
    • a known thoracic aneurysm

  • high risk pain features
    • an abrupt onset of ripping, tearing, or stabbing pain in the chest, back, or abdomen

  • high risk features of the examination
    • a pulse or blood pressure discrepancy
    • neurological deficit
    • a new murmur of aortic regurgitation
    • shock

Patients who present with one or more high risk features (but without any electrocardiographic changes of myocardial infarction and without any findings that strongly suggest an alternative diagnosis), an urgent aortic imaging should be carried out.

  • although the specificity of this method is unknown, sensitivity is reported to be 95.7% (1)

Reference:


Create an account to add page annotations

Add information to this page that would be handy to have on hand during a consultation, such as a web address or phone number. This information will always be displayed when you visit this page

The content herein is provided for informational purposes and does not replace the need to apply professional clinical judgement when diagnosing or treating any medical condition. A licensed medical practitioner should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions.

Connect

Copyright 2024 Oxbridge Solutions Limited, a subsidiary of OmniaMed Communications Limited. All rights reserved. Any distribution or duplication of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited. Oxbridge Solutions receives funding from advertising but maintains editorial independence.