Acute Aortic Dissection: Time Series (1987-2007)

Background: Aortic dissection is a medical emergency: This condition is not as rare as we usually assume it is and in many cases it is not diagnosed. Objective: To analyze the clinicopathological characteristics of patients who died from acute aortic dissection. Methods: A descriptive, analytical, case series study (61 patients) was conducted from 1987 to 2007 at the General University Hospital "Dr. Gustavo Aldereguia Lima'' of Cienfuegos. The variables included in the study were age, sex, race, medical history of hypertension, classification of dissection, presence or absence of left ventricular hypertrophy, main initial symptoms, clinical diagnosis at the time of admission, and the presence or absence of dissection rupture. A tendency to in-hospital mortality by that entity was also determined. Results: Aged, males and white skinned patients with a history of hypertension were predominant. A high frequency of left ventricular hypertrophy was proved. The most common initial symptoms were chest pain, loss of awareness, dyspnea and abdominal pain. Although there were fluctuations, mortality showed a tendency to arise in the time series that was studied. Conclusions: The clinical presentation including a variety of initial symptoms causes that the first diagnosis of dissection is not taken into account. Controlling cardiovascular risk factors in the community should be the cornerstone for the prevention of this potentially fatal disorder. Key words: Aortic dissection, arterial hypertension, cardiovascular diseases.