Jayanthi, 43, a housewife from Wayanad; Subramaniom Potty, 59, a retired temple priest from Kochi; John S., 55, an ex-army man; and Krishnaveni, 59, a retired teacher from Palakkad, all of them suffering from a rare form of cardiac disorder called “Type A aortic dissection”, received a fresh lease of life thanks to a high-risk surgical procedure carried out at the Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences.
The disorder, caused by a tear in the inner lining of the wall of the aorta, causing symptoms similar to a heart attack, is not detected in an ECG examination. Such tears are caused by high blood pressure or certain congenital conditions. However, it is a rare disorder with 3.5% of the population out of 100,000 suffering from the condition. The corrective surgical procedure is done using a technique called total circulatory arrest.
Dr. Pavan Varma, head of the team of cardiovascular and thoracic surgeons that carried out the surgeries, said the operations on two patients were held back-to-back with the doctors being on the job for over 20 hours at a stretch. Type A aortic dissection was a life-threatening condition, but since it was a rare disorder, diagnosis would get delayed, said Dr. Kirun Gopal, associate professor, cardiac surgery.
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