Acute Type A Aortic Dissection Presenting as ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction Referred for Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention.
BACKGROUND
When acute aortic dissection is complicated with acute myocardial infarction, the diagnosis of dissection can be problematic. In these cases, patients might be treated with primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and suffer acatastrophic outcome. However, there are few reports or algorithm to facilitate the accurate management of this clinical situation.


METHODS
We evaluated 385 consecutive patients who underwent primary PCI arising from an initial diagnosis of STEMI at our hospitalbetween January 2006 and March 2011. Clinical characteristics, coronary angiographic findings, and outcomes were obtained from medical charts and databases.


RESULTS
Five patients (1.3%) with STEMI secondary to aortic dissection were identified. All patients (100%) had sudden-onset of chest pain and a history of hypertension without diabetes or hyperlipidemia. An increased resistance while advancing the diagnostic catheter was reported by the operators in 3 of 5 patients (60%). Aortography performed by manual contrast-medium injection showed the discrepancy in the diameter between the aortic root and the ascending aorta in 4 patients (100%), and ascending aortic intimal flap dissections were noted in 3 patients (75%). Alternating appearance and disappearance of the coronary artery ostium was observed in 2 patients, and bedside echocardiography showed intimal flap extension inall 4 patients (100%) who underwent this examination. The mortality rate at 30days was 40%.


CONCLUSIONS
We construct an algorithm that incorporated factors including careful history evaluation, bedside echocardiography, resistance encountered while advancing a catheter, and findings of aortography performed with manual injection,which could b evaluable for this clinical situation.
Section of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Landseed Hospital;
Jian-Liung
JL
Wang
Section of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital and Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Taoyuan, Taiwan.
Chun-Chi
CC
Chen
Section of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital and Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Taoyuan, Taiwan.
Chao-Yung Wang
CY
Wang
Section of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital and Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Taoyuan, Taiwan.
Ming-Jer
MJ
Hsieh
Section of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital and Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Taoyuan, Taiwan.
Shang-Hung
SH
Chang
Section of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital and Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Taoyuan, Taiwan.
Cheng-Hung
CH
Lee
Section of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital and Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Taoyuan, Taiwan.
Dong-Yi
DY
Chen
Section of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital and Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Taoyuan, Taiwan.
I-Chang
IC
Hsieh
Aortic dissection; Primary percutaneous coronary intervention; ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction