Collaboration between the coroner and emergency physicians: Efforts to improve outcomes from aortic dissection

Abstract

The Coroners Prevention Unit at the Coroners Court of Victoria (CCV) is a multidisciplinary team that investigates deaths referred by the state's coroners, with a view to identifying prevention opportunities. The death of a woman from acute aortic dissection (AAD) after an emergency department attendance prompted the coroner to request a roundtable meeting with emergency physicians (EPs) from Melbourne. The round table was attended by 17 EPs from Melbourne hospitals, along with representatives from the CCV. The meeting identified important clinical, system and cultural features of AAD presentation and management that might be useful in improving case detection and management, and hence outco..