Rare single-stage surgery saves 35-yr-old

A 35-year-old cardiac patient, with three complex anomalies of his aorta, was treated through a single -stage surgery in a rare instance at a city hospital recently. The patients usually require multistage surgeries for such treatment.

The patient was brought to SIMS Hospital after he developed intense chest pain suddenly. It was found that the aorta had a tear of the ascending part (acute Type-A dissection), leakage in the aortic valve and a tear in the lower region of the descending part.

A team of doctors led by Dr VV Bashi, Director, Institute of Cardiac - Aortic Disorders, SIMS Hospital performed the type-A dissection.

The doctors could treat the tear and leakage after performing a single-stage surgery that lasted for about eight hours, even when the patient was admitted in an emergency condition.

Doctors say that surgery to rectify a major anomaly takes time and it is required to give 1 or 2 years of space to tackle other conditions.

Commenting about the surgery, Dr Bashi said that the patient developed severe chest pain that started radiating to the back and abdomen. “Upon detailed investigations, we diagnosed him with acute Type A dissection along with a leaking aortic valve and a tear in the lower end of the descending aorta. It was a life-threatening condition for the patient that required an emergency surgery. The patient was then rushed-in for surgery within half an hour,” he said.

The patient underwent successful total corrective replacement of the entire diseased aorta with the repair of the aortic valve and had an uneventful recovery.