Cocaine-Related Aortic Dissection: what do we know?

Introduction: Cocaine use is known to be associated with an increased risk for vascular diseases. It is likely to trigger or increase the risk for an aortic dissection. We conducted an analysis of 45 cases of cocaine-related aortic dissection to further characterize the clinical features and outcomes of this patient cohort. Methods: Our study cohort of 45 patients consisted of 11 cases from our institutional database and 34 published case reports. Results: The observed cases of acute aortic dissection related to cocaine use showed a high proportion of young (41.3 +/- 8.67 years) and male (88.9%) patients. Most of the cases (75%) were classified as Stanford type A. Also, in 75% of the cases, cocaine use was prevalent for more than one year. Median time from last cocaine use to onset of symptoms was one hour. In-hospital mortality was 21.4%, while additional 11.9% of the cases died before arriving at the hospital. Conclusion: Acute aortic dissection related to cocaine use occurs in predominantly young male patients and has a dismal outcome when compared to all comer series.