Frequency and Detection of Stanford Type A Aortic Dissection in Hyperacute Stroke Management

Background and Purpose: Acute Stanford type A aortic dissection (AAD) is a devastating aortic disease, and prompt diagnosis is sometimes difficult to make. Identification of AAD in suspected acute stroke patients is especially challenging. Nevertheless, the frequencies and predictive factors of AAD in suspected acute stroke patients have not been well investigated. The aim of this study was to elucidate the prevalence of and predictors for AAD in patients with suspected acute stroke. Methods: From January 2012 through January 2013, consecutive patients who visited our emergency department (ED) due to suspected acute (<24 h from onset) stroke were retrospectively enrolled. Clinical parameters including systolic blood pressure (SBP) and laboratory data were collected. Frequency of AAD in suspected acute stroke patients and acute ischemic stroke (AIS) subjects were assessed, and factors associated with AAD among AIS patients were investigated. Results: A total of 1,637 patients were included in this study. Five patients (0.31%, 95% CI 0.04-0.57) were diagnosed as having AAD. The prevalence of AAD in all AIS individuals during the study period was 1.09% (95% CI 0.14-2.05), and AAD accounted for 1.70% (95% CI 0.05-3.36) of AIS patients who appeared at the hospital within 4 h from onset. Most AAD patients presented with disturbed consciousness, and none of the AAD patients complained of chest pain. Neck ultrasonography detected an intimal flap in AAD patients. Two AAD cases died soon after ED arrival. The remaining 3 were promptly diagnosed as having AAD in the ED and underwent emergency surgery; all were discharged with only mild neurological symptoms. Low SBP in the right arm (cut-off value ≤110 mm Hg, sensitivity 100%, specificity 94.4%) and high D-dimer level (cut-off value ≥5.0 μg/ml, sensitivity 100%, specificity 91.7%) had high predictive values for detecting AAD in patients with AIS presenting within 4 h from onset. Conclusions: AAD was seen in 0.31% of suspected acute stroke patients and 1.70% of AIS patients presenting within 4 h from onset. AAD patients who were initially suspected as having acute stroke had severe neurological symptoms, including disturbance of consciousness, did not complain of typical chest pain, and when emergency surgery was performed, favorable neurological and survival outcomes were achieved. Low SBP in the right arm and high D-dimer level could predict AAD.

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Anterograde Amnesia as a Manifestation of Acute Type A Aortic Dissection

International Journal of Angiology ◽

10.1055/s-0039-1693029 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 29 (04) ◽

pp. 263-266 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Claudia Stöllberger ◽

Julia Koller ◽

Josef Finsterer ◽

Dominic Schauer ◽

Marek Ehrlich

Keyword(s):

Computed Tomography ◽

Chest Pain ◽

Aortic Dissection ◽

Memory Impairment ◽

Acute Aortic Dissection ◽

Anterograde Amnesia ◽

Type A ◽

Type A Aortic Dissection ◽

D Dimer ◽

Aortic Dissection Type A

Objectives Memory impairment has been only rarely reported in association with acute aortic dissection type A. We report a patient with pure anterograde amnesia and memory impairment of contents occurring after the event, accompanying acute aortic dissection type A. Case Report A previously healthy 53-year-old Caucasian male was admitted because of sudden chest pain after having lifted a heavy object. Clinical examination and electrocardiogram showed no abnormalities. Since blood tests showed leukocytosis, anemia, and elevated D-dimer level, either pulmonary embolism or aortic dissection was suspected; therefore, computed tomography was suggested. The patient seemed disoriented to time, and neurologic investigation confirmed that the patient was disoriented to time; short time memory was severely impaired and concentration was reduced. An amnestic episode with anterograde amnesia was diagnosed. Computed tomography showed type A aortic dissection. A supracoronary replacement of the ascending aorta was performed. The patient was discharged on the 7th postoperative day. Three months postoperatively, the patient is clinically stable; however, amnesia for the interval between pain onset and cardiac surgery persists. Conclusions Transient amnesia, usually considered a benign syndrome, may be more common than generally recognized in aortic dissection. The suspicion for aortic dissection or other cardiovascular emergencies is substantiated when amnesia is associated with sudden onset of chest pain, leukocytosis, and elevated D-dimer levels. Computed tomography of the aorta with contrast medium is the imaging method of choice to confirm or exclude the diagnosis.

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Acute Type-A Aortic Dissection with Obstruction of the Right Coronary Artery

The Heart Surgery Forum ◽

10.1532/hsf98.2013246 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 17 (4) ◽

pp. 196

Author(s):

Erhan Kaya ◽

Halit Yerebakan ◽

Daniel Spielman ◽

Omer Isik ◽

Cevat Yakut

Keyword(s):

Coronary Artery ◽

Aortic Dissection ◽

Right Coronary Artery ◽

Type A ◽

Sudden Onset ◽

Acute Type ◽

Type A Aortic Dissection ◽

Coronary Syndrome ◽

Bentall Procedure ◽

The Right

Occlusion of a coronary artery by an acute type A aortic dissection presents a life-threatening emergency that is rarely seen and easy to misdiagnose. We present the case of a 75-year-old male who experienced sudden onset of severe left-sided chest pain due to an acute type A aortic dissection that obstructed the right coronary artery. Following an initial misdiagnosis of acute coronary syndrome, imaging revealed the presence of an aortic dissection. An emergency modified Bentall procedure was performed, in which the damaged aorta and aortic valve were replaced.

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Surgery out of office hours for type A aortic dissection: does night-time and weekend surgery worsen outcome?

Interactive CardioVascular and Thoracic Surgery ◽

10.1093/icvts/ivaa190 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 31 (6) ◽

pp. 806-812

Author(s):

Simone Gasser ◽

Lukas Stastny ◽

Markus Kofler ◽

Vitalijs Zujs ◽

Christoph Krapf ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Aortic Dissection ◽

Emergency Surgery ◽

Odds Ratio ◽

Surgical Repair ◽

Type A ◽

Skin Incision ◽

Night Time ◽

Femoral Access ◽

Type A Aortic Dissection ◽

Malperfusion Syndrome

Abstract OBJECTIVES Immediate surgical repair for type A aortic dissection is gold standard and at most centres is performed by the surgeon on call during night-time and weekends. The objective was to evaluate whether emergency surgery during night-time or weekends has an influence on 30-day mortality. METHODS In 319 patients undergoing surgery for type A aortic dissection, skin incision was documented. Patients were divided into 2 groups according to the time point of skin incision (05:00 a.m. to 07:00 p.m. = daytime group; 07:01 p.m. to 04:59 a.m. = night-time group). We also noted whether their surgeries were started on weekdays (Monday 00:00 to Friday 23:59) or weekends (Saturday 00:00 to Sunday 23:59). RESULTS The median age was 61 years (interquartile range 49–70) and 69.6% (n = 222) were male. Almost 50% (n = 149) of patients presented in a critical preoperative state. Forty-one percent of patients (n = 131) underwent night-time surgery. There were no differences in baseline data, time from onset of symptoms to surgery or surgical treatment between groups, except from preferred femoral access for arterial cannulation during night-time. Advanced age [odds ratio 1.042, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.014–1.070], preoperative malperfusion syndrome (odds ratio 2.542, 95% CI 1.279–5.051) and preoperative tamponade (odds ratio 2.562, 95% CI 1.215–5.404) emerged as risk factors for 30-day mortality. Night-time or weekend surgery did not have any impact on 30-day mortality when covariates were considered. CONCLUSIONS Based on the natural course of the disease and our results, surgery for type A aortic dissection should be performed as an emergency surgery regardless of time and day.

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ROLE OF COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY SCAN IN EVALUATION OF NEUROLOGICAL MANIFESTATIONS IN COVID 19 POSITIVE PATIENTS AND ITS CORRELATION WITH D-DIMER VALUE AND GCS: A RETROSPECTIVE COHORT STUDY IN A TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL IN CENTRAL INDIA

10.36106/gjra/2900769 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 17-21

Author(s):

Debraj Saha ◽

Aarti Anand ◽

Jawahar Rathod ◽

Prajwaleet Gour ◽

Shivprasad Jaybhay ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cohort Study ◽

Acute Stroke ◽

Retrospective Cohort Study ◽

Retrospective Cohort ◽

Neurological Symptoms ◽

Government Medical College ◽

Stroke Patients ◽

Medical College ◽

Neuro Imaging ◽

D Dimer

Objective: To investigate the incidence and spectrum of neuroimaging ndings and their prognostic role in hospitalized COVID-19 patients in Government Medical College Nagpur along with their correlation with D-Dimer Values and GCS . Methods: This is a retrospective cohort study of 774 COVID-19 conrmed patients admitted to Government Medical College st st Nagpur between 1 April 2020 and 31 October 2020. Clinical data were extracted from electronic medical records, and particularly data of all neurological symptoms were extracted from the imaging reports. Four neuro-radiologists evaluated all neuroimaging studies for acute neuroimaging ndings related to COVID-19. Plasma D-dimer levels were measured using a particle-enhanced, immunoturbidimetric assay on admission in the 116 patients who came for evaluation of neurological symptoms. Moreover ,the patients were classied into different groups as mild, moderate and severe based on their GCS scores and was assessed with respect to their neuro-imaging ndings. Results: 15 % of the admitted patients suffered from neurological symptoms. Acute stroke was the most common nding in the patients with positive neuroimaging ndings resulting in 34.4% of the patients with positive neuroimaging ndings. Other ndings were subacute infarcts (13.8%), Chronic lacunar infarcts (20.6%) , Intraparenchymal hemorrhage in 10.4 %, hypertensive encephalopathy in 7 % and subarachanoid hemorrhage in 3.4 %. Plasma median D-dimer levels were signicantly (P฀ =฀ 0.000) higher in Acute stroke patients as compared to COVID 19 positive patients who had negative CT scan imaging features(0.88; interquartile range [IQR], 0.28–2.11 mg/L and 0.31; IQR, 0.17–0.74 mg/L). Patients who have positive neuroimaging ndings presented with a lower GCS whereas patients who had negative neuroimaging ndings presented with a higher GCS. Conclusions: Our study demonstrates acute stroke is the most common neuroloimaging nding in hospitalized COVID 19 Patients. Moreover D-Dimer values are highly predictive of acute ischemic stroke. Patients with positive neuro-imaging ndings have poor GCS scores.

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