Contents

Disclaimer

Oxford University Press makes no representation, express or implied, that the drug dosages in this book are correct. Readers must therefore always check the product information and clinical procedures with the most up to date published product information and data sheets provided by the manufacturers and the most recent codes of conduct and safety regulations. The authors and the publishers do not accept responsibility or legal liability for any errors in the text or for the misuse or misapplication of material in this work. Except where otherwise stated, drug dosages and recommendations are for the non-pregnant adult who is not breastfeeding.

Show Summary Details
Page of

Diseases of the arteries 

Diseases of the arteries
Page of

PRINTED FROM OXFORD MEDICINE ONLINE (www.oxfordmedicine.com). © Oxford University Press, 2021. All Rights Reserved. Under the terms of the licence agreement, an individual user may print out a PDF of a single chapter of a title in Oxford Medicine Online for personal use (for details see Privacy Policy and Legal Notice).

date: 07 March 2021

The acute aortic syndromes are acute dissection, intramural haematoma, and penetrating ulcer, and all involve disruption of the wall of the aorta with potentially devastating consequences. Although relatively uncommon, left unrecognized and untreated they can carry a mortality rate of up to 2% per hour and 50% within the first few weeks. Physical signs typically reflect the region of the aorta involved and effects of pressure on adjacent structures: evidence of new aortic regurgitation or development of pulse deficits should be actively sought. Abnormalities on the chest radiograph and ECG are common, but neither investigation is diagnostic and further imaging is always necessary by MRI, contrast-enhanced CT, or transoesophageal echocardiography, depending on local availability and the clinical condition of the patient. In the long term, strenuous efforts to control blood pressure are indicated for all patients who have survived aortic dissection, with repeat imaging at least once a year.

Access to the complete content on Oxford Medicine Online requires a subscription or purchase. Public users are able to search the site and view the abstracts for each book and chapter without a subscription.

Please subscribe or login to access full text content.

If you have purchased a print title that contains an access token, please see the token for information about how to register your code.

For questions on access or troubleshooting, please check our FAQs, and if you can't find the answer there, please contact us.