Chest pain is a symptom that may be caused by the onset of various diseases, including coronary heart disease. When it occurs, patient tend to have chest distress and shortness of breath. Different diseases can cause different feelings. If the sudden chest pain is a tearing or ripping sensation, accompanied by abnormal heartbeat or breathing, the patient must go to the hospital immediately, because this may be a sign of aortic dissection, which is very dangerous and even fatal.

Aortic dissection has low morbidity and high mortality. The public has little knowledge about it. Like a timebomb, aortic dissection is a kind of cardiovascular disease that makes people scared. Recently, Dr. Liu Wei from DeltaHealth Hospital was invited to the radio show “Live to 100 Years Old” and popularized knowledge about aortic dissection.

Cause of aortic dissection

Dr. Liu Wei said: The aorta is the largest blood vessel in the body and is directly connected to the heart. After the blood is pumped from the heart, it flows through the aorta to organs and limbs. The aorta has inner, middle and outer layers. Due to congenital dysplasia or elevated blood pressure, a tear may occur in the aorta, and the blood will rush through the tear and flow into the aortic wall, leading to aortic dissection.

Illustration: Aortic dissection

Because the aorta has many branches, once the dissection occurs, each branch will expand forward or back under the pressure of blood flow. The rupture of the aorta may be caused, leading to hemorrhage and death. Or relevant organs may be made ischemic, involved with other arteries, resulting in organ dysfunction.

According to studies, aortic dissection usually occurs in those ages 40-60, and the male to female ratio is 4:1. With the pace of modern life getting faster, aortic dissection tends to happen more in young people. If the patient is not treated promptly, the mortality rate within 24 hours is 50%, and close to 68% one week after the onset.

How to deal with such a vascular “timebomb”? Dr. Liu Wei said, now the cardiac surgery is developing rapidly in China. Based on lesions at different parts and of different types, surgeons perform aorta replacement with artificial blood vessel or implantation of endovascular covered stents through thoracotomy to block the tear, and have saved countless patients. The efficacy deserves to be praised.

Prevention and diagnosis of aortic dissection

In daily life, people should increase their awareness of aortic dissection. Maintain appropriate exercise level, adopt regular lifestyle, balance work and rest, quit smoking and limit alcohol. If you have hypertension, stay up late often, have great pressure, smoke or drink for a long time, or have a family history of aortic disease (such as Marfan syndrome), you are recommended to add ultrasound and CT in your physical examination. If any abnormality is found in blood vessel, a CT scan of the aorta should be done to check the lesion and treat it from the very beginning.

Reminder: If a sudden aortic dissection occurs, the patient does not need to be too panic. Try to keep calm, lie in the supine position, avoid radical emotional change and tiring activity. The patient’s family members and friends should immediately call 120 emergency service, so that the best rescue time will not be missed.

References:

【1】 搜狐健康《生命科学》 2018-12-17.