The Angry Aorta: When Chest Pain Isn’t a STEMI and Belly and Back Pain Ain’t the Tummy!

Think every chest pain is a heart attack and every bellyache is just bad lunch? Think again, the Angry Aorta has entered the chat! In this cheeky yet informative session, we’ll unveil the sneaky ways your patient’s largest blood vessel can masquerade as more common problems. A bursting or dissecting aorta isn’t your run-of-the mill chest or abdominal pain it’s a rare, deadly time-bomb that demands respect. In fact, from day one of training, providers at all levels are taught to suspect and fear aortic catastrophes. For good reason a torn aorta can bleed out a person in just a few heartbeats! Miss it, and your patient could exsanguinate “in a heartbeat”!