Aortic Dissection Presenting as Shortness of Breath from Diffuse Alveolar Hemorrhage: A Case Report

Background: Aortic dissection is a rare but well-known life-threatening disease that classically presents with tearing chest pain radiating to the back yet can have deceiving clinical presentations.Case Report: A 54-year-old male with a history of hypertension presented to the emergency department with mild shortness of breath without chest pain. Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) detected diffuse B-lines, a dilated aortic root, aortic regurgitation, and pericardial effusion. A computed tomography angiogram confirmed a Stanford type A aortic dissection with diffuse alveolar hemorrhage (DAH), a rare complication of type A aortic dissections involving the posterior aortic wall with extension into the main pulmonary artery.
Source: The Journal of Emergency Medicine - Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: Source Type: research