Aortic dissection is a serious condition in which there is a tear in the wall of the major artery carrying blood out of the heart (aorta). As the tear extends along the wall of the aorta, blood can flow in between the layers of the blood vessel wall (dissection). Symptoms include sudden, severe chest or upper back pain that radiates to the neck or down the back, loss of consciousness and shortness of breath. Treatment may include surgery and medication, such as beta blockers. Aortic dissection is a medical emergency. Early diagnosis and treatment are important. Over time, the tear can affect your brain, lungs, arms, legs, and heart. This depends on where along your aorta the tear occurs. Acute aortic dissection can be treated surgically or medically. In surgical treatment, the area of the aorta with the intimal tear is usually resected and replaced with a Dacron graft. Emergency surgical correction is the preferred treatment for Stanford type A (DeBak Acute aortic dissection is the most common life-threatening disorder affecting the aorta.( type I and II) ascending aortic dissection. Although acute aortic dissection classically produces sudden onset of severe chest pain that often has a tearing or ripping quality, he goals of early management of aortic dissection are to control pain and limit the extension of the dissection using anti-impulse therapy. Acute aortic dissection (AAD) is associated with unacceptably high mortality rate.