Aortic dissection is an acute state in which a tear in the intimal layer of the aortic wall allows blood to enter in between the intimal and medial layers. Risk factors include hypertension, smoking, dyslipidaemia, inflammatory diseases of the aorta and genetic connective tissue disorders. Severe, tearing chest pain is the main symptom of aortic dissection. The dissection may progress along the aorta, leading to several complications, such as myocardial infarction, acute aortic regurgitation, shock, stroke, acute kidney injury, abdominal organ ischaemia. Due to the high mortality rate, aortic dissection requires urgent diagnosis and rapid initiation of treatment. This article describes a case of a 78-year-old male admitted to the hospital with chest pain and neurological symptoms. Initially, the clinical presentation suggested a complicated myocardial infarction accompanied by cardiogenic shock; however, further diagnostic workup revealed an aortic dissection. The patient was transferred to the Cardiothoracic Surgery Operating Room, but he did not survive the surgery. The clinical presentation of aortic dissection can vary, with nonspecific symptoms due to possible multiple complications. Rapid, multidisciplinary diagnostic evaluation and immediate therapeutic intervention are essential, as the mortality rate increases rapidly over time.