Treatment Strategy for Acute Type A Aortic Dissection Complicated with Organ Ischemia

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Despite improved outcomes of acute type A aortic dissection (AAAD), many patients die at the moment of onset, and hospital mortality is still high. This article reviews the latest literature to seek the best possible way to optimize outcomes. Delayed diagnosis is caused by variation in or absence of typical symptoms, especially in patients with neurological symptoms. Misdiagnosis as acute myocardial infarction is another problem. Improved awareness by physicians is needed. On arrival, quick admission to the OR is desirable, followed by assessment with transesophageal echocardiography, and malperfusion already exists or newly develops in the OR; thus, timely diagnosis without delay with multimodality assessment is important. Although endovascular therapy is promising, careful introduction is mandatory so as not to cause complications. While various routes are used for the systemic perfusion, not a single route is perfect, and careful monitoring is essential. Surgical treatment on octogenarians is increasingly performed and produces better outcomes than conservative therapy. Complications are not rare, and consent from the family is essential. Prevention of AAAD is another important issue because more patients die at its onset than in the following treatment. In addition to hereditary diseases, including bicuspid aortic valve disease, the management of blood pressure is important.Keywords: aortic dissection, malperfusion, complication, echocardiography A cute type A aortic dissection (AAAD) not only causes sudden death at the time of onset but leads to various life-threatening complications. In spite of improved diagnostic imaging and surgical strategies, in-hospital mortality is still high, and patients who have survived often suffer from sequelae that make subsequent quality of life poor. This article is aimed to review the latest literature and ideas to seek the best possible way to minimize undesirable results.Various complications of AAAD caused by separation of the aortic wall to outer and inner layers are summarized as three categories: 1) aortic rupture due to disruption of the outer layer; 2) malperfusion caused by the inner layer, that is, the intimal flap; and 3) aortic regurgitation by a deformed aortic valve, leading to acute heart failure. Approximately 20% of patients instantaneously die due to aortic rupture, 1) and 1 to 2% of the remaining patients die every hour unless appropriately treated. 2) Although surgical outcomes are gradually improving, in-hospital mortality of surgical patients (repair on the aortic root to the arch) in 2009 was as high as around 10%, according to the Japanese database. 3) For the further improvement of outcomes, problems should be solved in each of preonset, pre-hospital, and in-hospital stages. In this review, the latter two stages are discussed first, since most of the literature focuses on these stages. After that, the issue of pre-onset stage, i.e., prevention is discussed. DelayeD DiagnosisIn consideration of the natural history of AAAD, the "chain of onset-to-sur...

Section: Mesenteric Ischemiamentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Perfusion Routementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Mesenteric Ischemiamentioning

confidence: 99%

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Acute Type A Aortic Dissection: for Further Improvement of Outcomes

Orihashi¹

2012

Self Cite

“…19) Femoral artery cannulation is not always risky and is useful in most cases. 3) The procedure can be performed safely and effectively, even in cases of malperfusion and cardiac tamponade, by monitoring radial artery pressure on both sides and by performing concomitant observation using transesophageal echocardiography.…”

Section: Intraoperative Parameter(s) (Table 2)mentioning

confidence: 99%

Direct and Transapical Central Cannulation for Acute Type A Aortic Dissection

Wada

Matsumura

Minematsu

et al. 2014

Objective: The choice of cannulation site for the treatment of acute Stanford type A aortic dissection is much debated. We believe that central cannulation is quick to perform, easy to use, and safe to manage acute type A aortic dissection. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively investigated 26 cases of acute aortic dissection performed using two different central cannulation methods between April 2011 and March 2012. Direct ascending aortic cannulation was performed using the Seldinger technique in 20 patients, and transapical ascending aortic cannulation was performed in six patients in whom puncture was difficult. Results: Patients were 21-86 years old (mean age, 67 years). The surgical techniques used to treat aortic dissection were hemiarch repair in 21 patients and total arch replacement in 5 patients. The mean length of surgery was 393 min. One death (3.8%) was attributed to intestinal ischemia. Conclusion: During surgery for acute aortic dissection, central cannulation using either transapical or direct puncture can be performed quickly and safely, and satisfactory short-term outcomes can be obtained. Because acute aortic dissection can present with various conditions, there is no single perfect surgical or cannulation method; therefore, the choice of surgical procedure should be individualized for each patient.

“…3) Ascending thoracic aortic aneurysm (ATAA) when it ruptures can be a challenging clinical problem. 4) ATAA, which carries a greater mortality risk than descending TAA, can be due to a spectrum of genetic, degenerative, and traumatic conditions. 5,6) The pathogenesis of this condition leading to aortic rupture involves changes in the composition of the aortic wall.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pulse Wave Velocity Involving Proximal Portions of the Aorta Correlates with the Degree of Aortic Dilatation at the Sinuses of Valsalva in Ascending Thoracic Aortic Aneurysms

Rabkin

Chan

Chow

et al. 2014

Objective: To determine the relationship between arterial stiffness measured in different aortic segments and the presence and extent of ascending thoracic aortic aneurysm (ATAA). Methods: Patients at a Thoracic Aortic Diseases clinic at a University teaching hospital were compared to patients attending a Cardiology outpatient Clinic at the same institution. A non-invasive measure of vascular stiffness was performed using pulse wave velocity (PWV) measurement of several vascular segments-carotidfemoral pulse wave velocity (cfPWV), heart-femoral pulse wave velocity (hfPWV) and brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV). Aortic dimensions were measured on echocardiogram. Results: Patients with ATAA (N = 32) were 66 years and the same age as those without ATAA (N = 46). There was no significant difference between those with or without aortic aneurysm with respect to cfPWV, hfPWV or baPWV. In ATAA, there was a significant (p <0.05) inverse correlation between aortic diameter at the sinuses of Valsalva and cfPWV, as well as hfPWV, but not with baPWV. This relationship was not evident in persons without ATAA. Conclusion: Reduced aortic stiffness (increased compliance), assessed by cfPWV or hfPWV, correlates with larger aortic size of ATAA at the level of the sinuses of Valsalva but not at the ascending aorta, suggesting cfPWV may be a useful method to assess the size of ATAA at the level of the sinuses of Valsalva. Overall aortic stiffness assessed by PWV did not differentiate persons with or without an ATAA, in individuals who do not have a genetic or inheritable cause of their ATAA.