A 65-year-old man is taken to the emergency department after experiencing central chest pain for the past two hours. The pain is described as "very severe" and "going all the way back to my spine" by the patient. He has never experienced such agony. For hypertension, the patient's medical history is important; the patient has been noncompliant with prescribed medical therapy and follow-up visits. He has a smoking history of 20 packs per year. The blood pressure is 195/101 mm Hg, and the pulse rate is 93 beats per minute. A chest examination reveals that the lungs are clear. The electrocardiogram demonstrates sinus rhythm and voltage criteria for left ventricular hypertrophy. A portable x-ray of the chest reveals a widened mediastinum. The patient is given intravenous esmolol right away. Which of the following is the most likely purpose of this patient's current therapy?

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Eductional Objective: Medical therapy for acute aortic dissection aims to reduce aortic wall shear stress by minimizing the change in aortic blood pressure per time (dP/dt). Esmolol, a selective beta-1 receptor blocker, reduces dP/dt by decreasing left ventricular contraction velocity and heart rate.

A 65-Year-Old Man Is Taken to the Emergency Department After