Abstract

Iatrogenic acute aortic dissection is a catastrophic complication of cardiac surgeries. Perioperative aortic dissections are reported to be Stanford Type A dissections and are associated with significant mortality. A high index of suspicion is needed to diagnose intraoperative IAAD due to its atypical and rare presentation. Imaging such as CT aortogram and MRI scans which are diagnostic gold standards, is not feasible intraoperatively. Consequently, TEE aids in early diagnosis and surgical decision-making. Several authors emphasized the role of TEE in diagnosing IAAD. We report a case where a TEE-based diagnosis of IAAD guided the patient management and outcome.