Early response to aortic rupture reduces fatal risk

By Yesim Sert Karaaslan

ANKARA (AA) - Early response to the rupture of the aorta, the main artery that carries blood away from the heart to the rest of body, could reduce the risk of death, according to medical expert.

Majority of patients who were not diagnosed or had no emergency intervention had fatal ending due to the aorta rupture, Dr. Mehmet Ali Ozatik, head of Turkish Society of Cardiovascular Surgery (TKDCD), told Anadolu Agency.

After leaving the heart from the aorta valve, the oxygen-rich blood is being transmitted to the human brain, muscles and travels to all other cells and organs through the aorta, said Ozatik.

"Aortic dilation and rupture require urgent intervention. Early diagnosis and response are vital to reduce the risk of death," he added.

He said that the sudden pain on the back and abdomen, fainting, breathing problems, as well as the drop in blood pressure are the symptoms of vein rupture due to dilation of the aorta.

Dr. Ertekin Utku Unal, deputy head of TKDCD Aortic Surgery and Endovascular Treatments Working Group, said that aging, genetic status and family history are important risk factors for aortic health problems.

"High blood pressure, smoking, obesity, chronic lung disease and high cholesterol levels are among the risk factors that cause increased blood power to weaken vascular walls," Unal said.

He also recommended that men over 60-65 years old should consult a cardiovascular surgeon in case of family history or the presence of any other risk factors.

"Approximately one-fifth of the patients die before they come to the hospital," Unal said, adding that more than half of the undiagnosed and untreated patients die within the first 48 hours.

Unal also emphasized that the disease has a serious life-threatening course, noting that from the moment it develops, the risk of death increases by 1-3% per hour.

Once the disease is timely diagnosed, all necessary preparations should be made quickly for an operation, he said, adding that aortic dissection surgery is one of the most difficult and risky operations of cardiac surgery.

The aortic aneurysm, an abnormal bulge that occurs in the wall of the major blood vessel, and aortic dissection, a serious condition in which the inner layer of the aorta tears, are among the most important problems related to the artery.

* Writing by Jeyhun Aliyev