Factitious aortic dissection leading to thoracotomy in a 20-year-old man Letter

Chambers, E, Yager, J, Apfeldorf, W et al. (2007). Factitious aortic dissection leading to thoracotomy in a 20-year-old man . 48(4), 355-358. 10.1176/appi.psy.48.4.355

cited authors

  • Chambers, E; Yager, J; Apfeldorf, W; Camps-Romero, E

fiu authors

abstract

  • A 20-year-old man presented to an emergency department with dramatic, sudden-onset, tearing chest pain. He also claimed to have been previously diagnosed with Ehler-Danlos syndrome and a previous Type I aortic dissection (intimal tear of ascending aorta), rapidly increasing his treating physician's suspicion of an emergent aortic dissection. The patient was quickly transferred to a large university hospital, where he underwent a median sternotomy and thoracotomy, with no aortic pathology found on operation and biopsy. After the patient's postoperative recovery, he was treated at a mental health facility, where he remained ambivalent about his psychiatric condition and did not respond well to treatment. This case report describes a unique case of factitious disorder that led to a serious operative intervention and subsequent psychiatric care and assesses factors that might have contributed to his hospital course. © 2007 The Academy of Psychosomatic Medicine.

publication date

  • January 1, 2007

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

start page

  • 355

end page

  • 358

volume

  • 48

issue

  • 4