Auscultation Serendipitously Leading to the Discovery of a Type A Aortic Dissection: The Lost Art of Physical Examination

In the current era of rapidly advancing and evolving medicine, a huge emphasis has been placed on the utilization of diagnostic tests and imaging, as well as on following updated guidelines, at the expense of focusing on clinical exams and honing these skills. Poor physical exam skills is a definite risk to patient safety, as they might lead to the misdiagnosis of, sometimes, fatal diseases. In this case, we discuss a case of complicated aortic dissection type A that initially presented to us as a case of worsening chronic graft rejection. Aortic dissection type A was solely uncovered by clinical exam despite unusual presenting symptoms and grossly benign basic labs and initial chest radiograph.