Mysuru: A 60-year-old man with type A aortic dissection or tear in the aorta (the largest artery in the body) got a new lease of life through an innovative surgery performed by the doctors at Narayana Multispecialty Hospital, Mysuru.

The patient, Bhaskar Shetty, was treated with immediate surgery replacement of the aortic root with the valve, ascending aorta and aortic arch.

A hotelier, Bhaskar had no health issues. However, a few days ago, he started developing shortness of breath and had a few black outs (syncope). As he was experiencing difficulties continuously for two days, his daughter rushed him to the hospital. After a comprehensive evaluation including CT scan of the chest it was identified that Bhaskar had aortic dissection. Aortic dissection is rare but not uncommon in people with certain risk factors occurs when the layers of the aorta pull apart, trapping blood between them. This weakens the aorta and may cause it to rupture. Typically, it is seen in men between 60-80 years old who have a history of heart disease or high blood pressure.

But Bhaskar’s case was unusual as he did not have any typical risk factors. The search of quality and improved medical care brought him to Narayana Multispecialty Hospital Heart Valve Clinic.

After thorough evaluation, the doctors suggested the repair of aortic dissection under deep hypothermic circulatory arrest. The surgery lasted for six hours and Bhaskar Shetty is fast recovering from the fatal disease.

Speaking about the case, Dr. M.N. Ravi, Chief Heart Surgeon and Director of Heart Valve Clinic said, “Type A aortic dissection is the most dangerous type of dissection associated with mortality and morbidities like stroke. In Bhaskar Shetty’s case, not only the aorta, even the arch was dissected ruling out the conventional mode of treatment. We cannulated a large artery in the chest called axillary artery to maintain blood supply to the brain. We induced deep hypothermic circulatory arrest, wherein the body is made to cool down to a very cold temperature of 18 degree Celsius and performed the aortic dissection repair. A conduit housing an artificial valve was used to replace the aortic root, ascending aorta and partial aortic arch. We are glad that the patient’s body responded to the whole process and he is recovering fast.”

Speaking about his experience, Bhaskar Shetty said, “When I was diagnosed with this fatal disease, me and my family were shattered as I never had any major health issues till date. However Dr. Ravi and his team were supportive and helped us sail through the situation.”