Epidemiology and Hospital Mortality of Aortic Dissection in the Cardiology Department of the Ignace Deen National Hospital CHU of Conakry

Introduction: Aortic dissection is a cardiovascular emergency little described in our context. Its management remains difficult, requiring a therapeutic course combining medical and possibly surgical treatment. Our objective through this study was to determine the frequency and hospital mortality rate of aortic dissection in order to improve its management. Patients and Methods: We have realized in the Cardiology Department of the Ignace Deen National Hospital UH Conakry, a descriptive retrospective study of a duration of 4 years from January 1, 2020 to December 31, 2023 including all patients hospitalized for aortic dissection confirmed by the thoracic angioscanner. Results: According to our study, the hospital frequency of aortic dissection was 0.56%, or 6 cases out of 1069 patients. The average age was 67 years. The male predominance (66.67%) was notable, with a sex ratio of 2. Arterial hypertension was the only risk factor found and accounted for 50% of cases. The management of our patients was strictly medical, based on the control of pain, heart rate and blood pressure by analgesics and beta-blockers. The surgery was not performed in our patients due to the inadequacy of the technical platform, by the absence of a thoracic and vascular surgery service. The response to treatment was marked by a regression of pain in 66.67% and a control of blood pressure in 33.33%. The evolution was favorable in 66.67% and unfavorable with deaths in 33.33%, hence a hospital mortality at 33%. Conclusion: Aortic dissection is a rare, but serious acute condition requiring urgent medical and surgical management. The management of this pathology is a real challenge in our context. This study has highlighted a similarity of our data to some of the literature, but it remains insufficient due to its monocentric nature and its short duration.