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Acute Aortic Dissection

Abbott Northwestern Hospital and several regional hospitals are working together in an effort to improve treatment for people with acute aortic dissections, a deadly and difficult-to-diagnose heart condition.

Through the partnership, cardiologists with the Minneapolis Heart Institute at Abbott Northwestern will be available 24-hours a day to consult with physicians from regional hospitals whose patients have aortic dissection symptoms, which include a sudden and severe ripping pain in the chest that spreads to the back or neck, sweating, confusion and nausea. The aortic dissection team includes Frazier Eales, MD; Tim Kroshus, MD; Subi Inampudi, MD; Scott Streckenbach, MD; Chris Kapsner, MD; Chris Obetz, MD; Dave Larson, MD; Rino Orlandi, MD; Yale Wang, MD; Alan Hirsch, MD; Tim Henry, MD; Jeff Meland, MD; Craig Strauss, MD; Katie Menssen and Barb Unger.

Acute aortic dissections occur when the tissue that connects the aorta to the heart splits, allowing blood to seep into the left ventricle. If left untreated it can cause the aorta to rupture. Once the vessel ruptures, emergency open-heart surgery is needed to keep the heart pumping.

Unfortunately, many patients never make it to the operating room table. Because some aortic dissection symptoms are similar to those of a heart attack, the condition is often misdiagnosed. Delays in diagnosing a dissection can be catastrophic for patients; the mortality rate for people with torn aortas goes up 1 to 2 percent for each hour they go without surgery. Each year, 25,000 Americans die from the condition.

The most reliable way to confirm an acute aortic dissection is to have a radiologist or cardiologist who is familiar with the condition examine a CT scan of the patient's chest. Cardiologists at Abbott Northwestern treat many patients with aortic dissections each year and are highly skilled at recognizing the condition.

Under the new partnership, physicians at regional hospitals are able to leverage their colleagues knowledge by taking a CT scan of patients they believe have a dissection. The digital images of the scan are then sent to Abbott Northwestern, where cardiologists and radiologists will read the scan and determine if it is a dissection.

if it is an aortic dissection, the patient is transferred by ambulance or helicopter to Abbott Northwestern. At the same time, a surgical team including a thoracic surgeon is summoned to the hospital. When the patient arrives, he or she is taken directly to the operating suite, where emergency open-heart surgery is performed.

Putting in place systematic measures to quickly diagnose the dissection and transferring the patient to the operating room has the potential to improve survival rates, according to Kevin Harris, MD, the medical director of the Minneapolis Heart Institute’s Ascending Aortic Dissection Program.

“Getting to the operating room as soon as possible is extremely important when a patient is having an acute aortic dissection,” said Harris. “By putting in place a standardized approach to care, we can improve recognition of the condition, transfer times and save more lives throughout the state.”

Regional hospitals involved in the program include Alexandria, Cambridge Medical Center, Hutchinson, Northfield, Shakopee and Waconia.		 Quick Finder
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