Key result
Point-of-care ultrasound enabled the rapid identification of a ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm in an elderly male presenting with non-specific abdominal pain.
Why the study?
Ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm is a catastrophic emergency with high mortality, where atypical presentations frequently cause misdiagnosis and rapid identification influences prognosis.
Case Report (n=1)
No
Point-of-care ultrasound in the emergency department is a rapid, non-invasive, and effective tool for diagnosing ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysms in patients with atypical presentations.
May aid rapid diagnosis in atypical cases; hypothesis-generating and requires prospective validation.
A ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is a catastrophic cardiovascular emergency which carries high risk of morbidity and mortality. Clinical manifestation includes severe abdominal pain, back or flank pain, syncope, hypotension, gastrointestinal bleeding and cardiovascular collapse. Misdiagnosis is often due to atypical presentation and results in fatal consequences. Rapid diagnosis of ruptured AAA is essential because it influences the patient’s prognosis. Timely and accurate diagnosis can be made in the Emergency Department using point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) which has high sensitivity and specificity. We report a case of an elderly male who came with non-specific abdominal pain to the Emergency Department. Timely diagnosis of ruptured AAA was made with POCUS. The diagnosis was made by a non-radiologist using POCUS, however, the decision for ruptured AAA repair was only made by surgical team following computed tomography scan of the abdomen.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Amin et al. (2021) conducted a case report in Ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm (n=1). Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) was evaluated on Diagnosis of ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm. Point-of-care ultrasound enabled the rapid identification of a ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm in an elderly male presenting with non-specific abdominal pain.
Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context: