Aortic Dissection Awareness – preventing the heartbreak

May 5-11 2025 marks Heart Failure Awareness week, a campaign started in 2010 by the European Society of Cardiology. One such condition is aortic dissection.

Aortic dissection is a life-threatening and time-critical disease. If left untreated, it is usually fatal. According to the Aortic Dissection Charitable Trust this disease affects around 6 in 100,000 people, but is not routinely suspected as a working diagnosis by many practitioners, resulting in missed opportunities for early intervention. When an aortic dissection is detected early and treated promptly, the chance of survival greatly improves.

Aortic Dissection Awareness

Aortic Dissection Awareness is a UK-based charity who created and lead the global campaign ‘Think Aorta’. Think Aorta provides free accredited learning resources to help people spot aortic dissection and take action.

'Think AORTA' is a campaign which aims to raise awareness and improve diagnosis of aortic dissection worldwide. As per the Think Aorta website currently, a diagnosis of aortic dissection is considered in less than half of patients who arrive at the Emergency Department with the condition, and one-third of patients with Aortic Dissection are actively treated for a different, incorrect diagnosis.

What is aortic dissection?

The aorta is the main artery from your heart and feeds blood to every part of your body, including the heart itself, the head and the brain, arms, legs and vital organs. An aortic dissection is when the weakened wall of the aorta tears, causing blood to leak between the layers that make up the walls of the arteries. This stops blood from being pumped around the body and is life-threatening.

An aortic dissection is categorised into two types; Type A (approximately 60% of all aortic dissections) and Type B. These are categorised according to where the initial tear in the lining occurs and helps to guide subsequent treatment.

Type A

A Type A dissection is where the tear is in the first part of the aorta, near where it exits the heart or in the arch. This is a surgical emergency, as it can cause a number of serious and time-critical problems such as a heart attack, blood to collect around the heart, loss of blood (and therefore oxygen) to the brain. Most Type A patients have immediate emergency surgery where the aortic valve often has to be replaced as it cannot be repaired.

If the dissection also involves the aortic arch, a more specialised surgery is required as the arch feeds blood to the brain and that supply must be preserved in order to protect the brain. This surgery is usually only available in major aortic centres.

Type B

A Type B dissection is where the tear is in the descending part of the aorta. Typically, the blood flow to the heart and brain are not affected, but a Type B dissection can cause a loss of blood flow to one or more major organs in the body. It is estimated that around 70% of Type B dissections are managed medically by controlling blood pressure to a safe level. There can be more complicated Type B dissections which require surgery or, as an alternative, a stent can be inserted via an artery in the groin.

Risk factors

There are several factors that can predispose someone to an aortic dissection. For example, if someone has an aneurysm, high blood pressure or atherosclerosis (build-up of plaque inside the aorta) they are at higher risk of suffering from an aortic dissection. Further, illegal/illicit drug use, especially cocaine, is a known risk factor. Unfortunately, weight lifting and sports can induce extreme blood pressure peaks which can precipitate an aortic dissection if there is already an aortic weakness.

There is a genetic risk component to aortic dissection and disease. In these cases, the disease is caused by faulty genetic mutations (small changes in the genetic makeup of cells). Therefore, it is generally recommended that close blood relatives of those who have died of an aortic dissection aged 60 or younger get screened. Those who fit this criteria should have a discussion with their GP or the Hospital team who looked after their loved one.

Pregnancy

Pregnancy increases the risk of aortic dissection. However, it is rare, but is more likely when the mother’s aorta is abnormal, i.e. if the mother has had cardiac issues in the past or if she suffers with high blood pressure. The aorta can also grow during pregnancy.

Most diseases of the aorta are inherited, and as such there is a 50:50 chance of the mother passing an aortic disease to her child. If the genetic variant causing the disease is known in the family, it will be possible for the mother to have pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) where created embryos will be tested for the mutation.

A mother at risk of aortic dissection will be monitored every four weeks from about twelve weeks onwards by a joint expert team.

Further, the birthing team may decide that to reduce maternal effort during labour they will use forceps or decide that a caesarean section will be lower risk than natural delivery. However, both of these methods have risks of injury to both mother and baby. If you or someone you know has been injured through the use of these methods, you/they may have a clinical negligence claim. You can find out more about birth injury in our article here.

Bereavement

Losing a loved one suddenly can be life altering and present unique challenges. Common experiences after a sudden loss are, numbness, denial, shock, sadness, anger, feeling lost and becoming overwhelmed. The experience of losing a loved one is often referred to as bereavement, grief and mourning.

At Thompson Smith and Puxon, we understand that you will likely be going through an experience which you have probably never dealt with before. Our aim is guide you through your claim as efficiently and compassionately as possible. We are here, ready to provide expert advice whenever you are ready to explore the possibility of a claim and need to decide your next steps. Through our charity contacts we are able to put you in touch with support groups to assist you with bereavement.

How can TSP help you?

If you have a loved one or have unexpectedly lost a loved one from this catastrophic cardiac condition and you think this is as the result of a delay in diagnosis or a misdiagnosis, you could potentially make a clinical negligence claim. Even where a loved one has been lost or has sustained a life-changing injury, a claim can be made on their behalf.

If you think that there may have been clinical negligence in the treatment you or someone you know has received, you should consider getting advice from a clinical negligence solicitor. They have the specialist knowledge required to help you evaluate the circumstances of the incident, give a professional opinion regarding your chances of success and advise whether you have a claim.

If it is decided that you do have a case, your solicitor will be able to guide and assist you through the claims process and help you to recover your losses and receive compensation. We can help you collect the evidence needed to make a claim and represent you through the legal process on a 'no win, no fee' basis.

At Thompson Smith and Puxon, our team of clinical negligence solicitors have the knowledge and expertise required to handle a wide variety of misdiagnosis, delayed diagnosis and cardiac condition claims. Our clinical negligence team also has vast experience in claims surrounding issues in pregnancy and labour.

If you or someone you care about would like some advice, please call our experts today on 01206 574431 or email enquiries@tsplegal.com.