title: Professional parachuting: the risk of acute aortic dissection.
abstract: Acute aortic dissection is a rare disease, but if it occurs rapid diagnosis and therapy are needed. It is usually seen in elderly patients with long-term persistent arterial hypertension. In younger patients, it is mainly caused by congenital connective tissue disorders, such as Marfan syndrome, or by trauma. We present here a 34-year-old male patient with an acute type A aortic dissection. This patient was a professional parachutist and had carried out a large number of parachute jumps during his lifetime. He was admitted to the emergency department with acute chest pain. The symptoms were not related in time to a parachute jump. During a computed tomography scan, an aortic dissection was diagnosed. The patient was immediately referred to the operating room, and the ascending aorta was replaced by a conduit. After a regular postoperative course, the patient was discharged and recovered completely. Although acute aortic dissection is rare in young patients, it has to be considered in cases of acute chest pain. An immediate diagnosis and adequate therapy are essential to offer the patient a good clinical outcome and long-term survival.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiac Surgery, University of Munich, Grosshadern, Munich, Germany.
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Buchholz
authors.forename: René Bombien
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: Quaden
authors.forename: Christoph
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Schmitz
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Überfuhr
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000328:Adult; D000784:Aortic Dissection / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology* / Q000601:surgery; D001011:Aorta / Q000293:injuries* / Q000601:surgery; D001014:Aortic Aneurysm / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology* / Q000601:surgery; D001027:Aortography / Q000379:methods; D001359:Aviation; D019917:Blood Vessel Prosthesis Implantation; D002637:Chest Pain / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D057772:Vascular System Injuries / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology* / Q000601:surgery