 Joan Lapchynski | Cardiothoracic surgeons at University Medical Center in Tucson performed a new heart surgery procedure that has given a Tucson woman a new lease on life and time to enjoy her eight children, 23 grandchildren and 27 great-grandchildren.
UMC cardiothoracic surgeons Raj K. Bose, MD, and Jack Copeland, MD, performed the surgery on August 24 on Joan Lapchynski, who was referred to UMC after an X-ray taken during a routine check revealed an ascending aortic aneurysm, a bulge more than 2 inches wide in the ascending portion of the aorta, where the blood vessel attaches to the heart and receives blood that it carries on to the rest of the body. Aortic aneurysms have been called "stealth killers" because in many cases it is unknown what causes them or how they can be prevented. Many patients have no symptoms and the bulging and weakening of the aorta wall goes unnoticed. Aneurysms pose a life-threatening risk because the stretched aortic wall is prone to rupture. |
"When that happens, a person can bleed to death within minutes," said Dr. Bose, assistant professors of cardiothoracic surgery at the UA College of Medicine Department of Surgery and a member of the UA Sarver Heart Center. "Aortic aneurysms are less known than heart attacks or cancer, but they are among the 15 most-common causes of death."
To repair an ascending aortic aneurism, surgeons remove the bulging, diseased portion of the aorta and bridge the gap with a graft made of synthetic material. During this procedure, the aortic valve, which controls blood flow from the heart into the aorta, has to be removed. The patient needs to be fitted with a replacement valve -- in most cases an artificial valve or a tissue valve obtained from swine.
In Mrs. Lapchynski's case, the surgeons applied a relatively new type of graft and performed a special procedure, both of which enabled them to leave the native aortic valve in place. "This is a huge advantage for the patient," said Dr. Bose. "Replacement valves last only a limited time and, more importantly, require the patient to take blood-thinning medications for the rest of their life to prevent blood clots."
The valve-sparing procedure is the latest addition to UMC's cardiovascular services that offer a comprehensive portfolio of procedures in emergency and elective surgery.
Link to the Gelweave ValsalvaTM pdf brochure www.opa.medicine.arizona.edu/news/aug07/valsalva.pdf
