Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm #1: Diagnostic Error and Risk Reduction

Course overview

There is a wide range of presentations of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA). Due to the difficult nature of the presentations and the similarities with aortic and other diseases, AAA is often not diagnosed during the first visit. However, much can be done to improve and avoid the failure to diagnose AAA. In this activity, we present cases that reveal the most common reasons the diagnosis of AAA is overlooked or missed and discuss several recurring themes and risk management recommendations that emergency and other acute care practitioners should be aware of. After completing this activity, providers/members of the healthcare team should be able to: consider AAA in the differential diagnosis for every elderly patient presenting with abdominal pain of unknown cause; create a standard approach to the evaluation of elderly patients with abdominal pain that includes a history and physical exam with a specific focus on AAA; and integrate awareness of the reasons for the failure to diagnose AAA into clinical practice to improve patient safety, improve documentation, and decrease the risk of exposure to medical malpractice.