HYDERABAD: A young 20-year-old male student from Nagpur reported with Aortic Dissection with Marfan Syndrome – an inherited disorder that affects the connective tissue. The connective tissue lacks strength because of its unusual chemical makeup.
Dr Pramod Reddy, Chief Cardiothoracic and Aortic Surgeon at Medicover Hospitals in Hyderabad said an Aortic Dissection is a medical emergency in which the inner layer of the large blood vessel branching off the heart (aorta) tears and the patient presents with severe chest or upper back pain that radiates to the neck or down the back, loss of consciousness and shortness of breath.
Aortic dissection is relatively uncommon. Dr Sharath Reddy, interventional cardiologist and Dr Pramod Reddy CVTS Surgeon carried out the complex procedure by replacing half of the aorta from the aortic root by using new technique called Frozen Elephant Trunk. Dr Pramod explained that the process requires cooling the patient’ s body to 20 degrees and stopping blood circulation to the entire body except the brain for 45 minutes.
The patient is now recovering and would soon be leading a normal life. The Doctor said, “ Mortality rate in such cases is 30-40%. There is also a chance of a stroke. Dr Sharath Reddy, Sr. consultant interventional cardiologist explained that in aortic dissection therapies this is considered complex surgery with poor outcomes and every day delayed from diagnosis increases mortality by 10 %. The Frozen Elephant technique reduces the necessity for subsequent operations and therefore may improve survival blood vessels.