The American journal of medicine
-
Acute decompensation with heart failure, angina, or syncope may be the first indication of undiagnosed aortic stenosis, but should be uncommon when the disorder is known and managed by watchful waiting. There is a lack of information on the proportion of patients with acute decompensated aortic stenosis with and without a prior diagnosis and their outcomes. ⋯ Approximately 1 in 5 patients admitted to the hospital with aortic stenosis have life-threatening complications due to their disorder. More than half of such patients are actively monitored for aortic stenosis before admission, exposing shortcomings of the watchful waiting management strategy. Measures to identify symptomatic patients earlier and shorten the time between symptom onset and surgery have the potential to substantially reduce morbidity and mortality.