Key result
Case report highlights the critical challenge of diagnosing type B aortic dissection in postpartum women.
Why the study?
Aortic dissection during pregnancy is a rare, life-threatening emergency presenting diagnostic and therapeutic challenges in resource-limited hospitals.
This case highlights the critical need for high clinical suspicion of aortic dissection in postpartum women with persistent chest pain and the importance of rapid referral networks in resource-limited settings.
Supports heightened suspicion for type B aortic dissection in postpartum chest pain; hypothesis-generating and should not yet change practice.
Aortic dissection during pregnancy is a life-threatening emergency for both mother and fetus; fortunately, it is a rare condition. This article presents the case of a 40-year-old patient diagnosed with preeclampsia without severe symptoms who, during the postpartum period, presented with persistent chest pain. During her evaluation, a computed tomography angiography (CTA) was performed, which revealed a type B aortic dissection (Stanford B, DeBakey III). The initial management consisted of conservative measures aimed at maintaining target blood pressure levels in a secondary-level hospital that lacks the infrastructure for multidisciplinary care. Therefore, referral to a tertiary care center was sought. This case clearly illustrates the diagnostic and therapeutic challenges in resource-limited hospitals, highlighting the lack of specific protocols, multidisciplinary medical teams, and rapid inter-institutional referral networks.
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Aguilar et al. (2026) studied this question. The case highlights the criticality of diagnosing type B aortic dissection in postpartum women presenting with chest pain, underscoring challenges in resource-limited settings.
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