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Med Mal Lawsuits And Aortic Dissection—The Deadly Condition Often Missed In The Emergency Department

Aortic dissection is a life-threatening medical condition in which a tear occurs in the major artery (aorta) that carries blood from the heart to the rest of the body. Recent data shows that about 13,000 Americans die each year from aortic dissections, according to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Time is of the essence to provide appropriate medical treatment to prevent aortic rupture and subsequent death.

However, many aortic dissections are missed in the emergency department, with only 15% to 43% of cases accurately diagnosed at first presentation. See Levy, David; Sharma, Sanjeev; Grigorova, Yulia; Farci, Fabiola; Le, Jacqueline K. Aortic Dissection. StatPearls [Internet]; Oct. 6, 2024. One explanation is that aortic dissection may not be front-of-mind for emergency physicians responsible for screening patients who present with symptoms of cardiac distress. More than 1.5 million patients are admitted to U.S. Hospitals per year with chest pain. A physician will see 80 patients with acute coronary syndrome before encountering one patient with aortic dissection. See Elefteriades, John A.; Barrett, Peter W.; Kopf, Gary S. "Litigation in Nontraumatic Aortic Diseases—A Tempest in the Malpractice Maelstrom." Cardiology 2008; 109:263-272. Without treatment, aortic dissection has a mortality rate that approaches 50% within 48 hours of symptom onset, according to "Aortic Dissection."

Georgia Mother Dies Of 'sheer Heartbreak' Days After Her 20-year-old Son Was Beaten To Death In Possible Hate Crime

A Georgia mother died of a broken heart just days after her 20-year-old son was discovered savagely beaten to death at her home, according to family members.

Tasha Lawson, 48, died from heart complications at a hospital in Waycross on April 13, just 11 days after her son, Tee'Andrick Lawson, was found dead in his bedroom — which relatives believe was a hate crime due to his sexual orientation, WTOC reported.

The mom's death was ruled to be from "natural causes" from an "aortic dissection rupture, hypertensive, and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease."

Tasha Lawson, 48, died on April 13, less than two weeks after her son was found dead. GoFundMe

Her family said it showed the mom died "from sheer heartbreak."

"Tee'Andrick and his mother were inseparable. Their bond was deep and unbreakable — best friends who did everything together," said a GoFundMe page raising money for the mom and son's funerals.

"The pain of losing her son was too much for her heart to bear."

Tee'Andrick Lawson was killed on April 2, which family members said was at the hands of two men who broke into the house while his mother was away. They believe he was targeted over his sexual orientation, which the Georgia Bureau of Investigation would not confirm Wednesday.

"He just wanted to be him," his sister Terreona Harrison told WTOC. "He couldn't even be him. Everybody accepted him, but the men who couldn't accept themselves."

Before her own death, his mom had told WTOC that her son had been "brutalized."

Tee'Andrick Lawson was found beaten to death in his room by his brother on April 2. Lawson Family Tasha spoke with reporters about her son less than a week before she died. WTOC

"He was very bright. Got along really well. He loved to dance. Laughed a lot," said his mother, less than a week before her death.

"I can't wake him up and say, 'Come go to the store with me.' I can't do any of that. He just didn't deserve what they did to him. He didn't deserve that."

'Fit And Healthy' Woman Survives Rare Aortic Tear

John Acres

BBC News, Devon

Julia Gregory

BBC News, South West

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Anne-Marie August says she is a keen exerciser

A "fit and healthy" woman from Devon who survived an "incredibly rare" aortic dissection has said she is determined to make the most of life.

Marie Anne August, of Newton Abbot, became ill during an exercise session. Aortic dissection is a life-threatening condition caused by a tear in the aorta, the body's largest artery, or bleeding within the aortic wall, according to the NHS.

The 45-year-old said it was really hard to diagnose: "I couldn't breathe and the pain was absolutely excruciating. It took me by surprise because I thought I was fit and healthy."

She says she felt "something ripping, it goes to the back of your chest up to the back of your neck, it felt like something bubbling".

Anne-Marie August is a regular in the gym

Aortic dissection is most common in people aged 65-75, with 35 cases per 100,000 people per year in that age group.

Ms August went to A&E and had an ECG and blood tests, but was sent home without a diagnosis.

She explained to John Acres at Breakfast on Radio Devon: "It's very difficult for them to diagnose. Unless you have a CT scan, it's very difficult to know that you've got an aortic dissection."

'So rare'

She said the condition gave the same symptoms as a heart attack but death rates increased "hour by hour".

However, she said that "as time goes on, and I think it's an issue with aortic dissection, the pain minimises".

"I think because it's so rare people don't see it."

She added: "What saved my life was being so fit and healthy."

Her family told her that after being sent home, she still "didn't look right", she said, so she returned to A&E after two days and had a CT scan. She was then told she needed open heart surgery at Derriford Hospital.

She said many older people who have the condition sit "and do nothing" afterwards because "it's a life changing event".

"I'm not letting that happen to me," she said. "My gym's been really great helping me with cardiac rehab."

However, she can no longer run, ski, water ski or do front crawl.

"It's such a change - to someone who is quite fit and active - to all the things I can't do.

"I have to get my head around how I live my life now."

She is doing an exercise stress test in London to find out how she responds to different exercises.

"I have to find my way on my own. I'm determined to get back some sort of fitness," she said.

What are the symptoms of aortic dissection?

Aortic dissection is when the weakened wall of the aorta tears, causing blood to leak between the layers that make up the walls of your arteries. This can happen suddenly or slowly over time.

The symptoms of aortic dissection include:

A sudden, severe pain across the chest, often felt in the back or between the shoulder blades

Pain in the jaw, face, abdomen, back or lower extremities

Feeling cold, clammy and sweaty

Fainting and shortness of breath

If you experience any of these symptoms you should phone 999 immediately as aortic dissection is a medical emergency and needs urgent treatment.

Source: British Heart Foundation

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