Acute type A aortic dissection complicating pregnancy at 32 weeks: surgical repair after cesarean section

A 40-year-old, gravida 2, para 1 woman presented at a gestational age of 32 + 5 weeks' with sudden onset of a sharp chest and thoracic back pain. She was admitted 1 hour before the onset of pain because of some minor postcoital vaginal blood loss. Pregnancy was uneventful until 30 weeks of pregnancy when mild gestational diabetes was diagnosed. Computer tomography demonstrated a type A aortic dissection. A healthy male infant of 2105 g was delivered by emergency cesarean section followed by a Bentall procedure with composite graft replacement of the aorta, and aortic valve replacement was performed. Rapid multidisciplinary consultation, collaboration, and quick decision making led to a successful outcome for both the mother and her child.