Catastrophic car accidents often cause aortic dissection, along with other serious injuries. Learn more about aortic dissection and how to identify the signs and symptoms of this potentially fatal medical condition.
Aortic Dissection
The aorta is the large artery that arises from the heart’s lower left chamber. The actual aorta rises, bends, and then turns downward. The part of the aorta that bends is 40% weaker than the rest of this artery. Therefore, when this internal organ is damaged, this area is more prone to tears or ruptures. When a tear develops, and the aorta bleeds into the middle layer separating the layers, a victim may suffer from an aortic dissection.
Car Accidents Causing Aortic Dissection
Because of the nature of car accidents and the different types of car accidents, they often cause aortic dissections. Aortic dissections are caused when there is trauma to the chest, which is often seen in a victim wearing a seat belt or was involved with airbag deployment. In a serious car accident, when the chest receives a violent impact, such as the Restraint of a seat belt for the physical impact of an airbag, and aortic dissection can occur
Consequences of Aortic Dissection
Any victim that has an aortic dissection should receive immediate medical attention as this is a life-threatening emergency. Any failure to provide medical attention could result in not only damage to the lining of the heart, but also death. if a patient does not die from an aortic dissection they may suffer permanent brain damage, a heart attack, organ failure, hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy, bowel infarctions, kidney, and liver failure, gangrene, dead intestines, or other medical complications.
Symptoms of Aortic Dissection
As an aortic dissection is a life-threatening situation, any of the following signs or symptoms should create an urgency to take the victim to an emergency room immediately. The symptoms of an aortic dissection include sharp stabbing pain in the chest, pain under the sternum or chest bone, pain in the shoulder, neck, abdomen, hips, or jaw. Other signs may include fainting, dizziness, leg pain, nausea, paralysis on one side of the body, shortness of breath, sweating, weakness, rapid weak pulse, anxiety, or other symptoms mimicking a stroke. It is critical to understand the risk of dying increases as much as 3% every single hour until treatment is actually received.
Contact an Experienced Car Accident Attorney Today
If you suffered an aortic dissection following a car accident, visiting with an experienced car accident attorney can help you understand how to pursue justice and receive compensation for your injuries and losses. Contact an experienced Milwaukee car accident lawyer at Groth Law at (414) 768-2727 for a free consultation today, and learn how we can help you with your case.