Profound Hypoxemia From Right Ventricular Failure Following Acute Type A Aortic Dissection

Acute aortic dissection is a catastrophic event with high mortality rate if left untreated. Complications of aortic dissection are fairly common, and some of them increase mortality rates further, necessitating early diagnosis and treatment. We present a case of Stanford type A aortic dissection with an uncommon complication of right ventricular failure, which resulted in a rare presentation of persistent hypoxemia despite intubation and maximal ventilatory support. Other common causes of hypoxemia were ruled out and this was eventually attributed to the aortic dissection and emergency surgery was arranged for the patient. Our case can help to increase the awareness of such a potential association, which should be considered in future similar clinical situations, thus minimizing any delay in management.