A GRANDMA’S life was saved when doctors replaced her artery with a “frozen elephant trunk” in a groundbreaking operation.
Jeanette, 70, desperately needed surgery as her aorta – the largest artery in the body – was diseased and threatened to rupture.
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The widow’s aortic valve, at the top of her heart, is also leaking – a defect that can cause heart failure.
“Having a dilated aorta and a leaky heart is like a ticking time bomb,” explained consultant heart surgeon Amit Modi.
During an episode of the popular BBC series Surgeons: At the Edge of Life, Amit and his team at the University of Southampton can be seen carrying out a high-risk procedure to repair both conditions and give Jeanette a healthy future.
The operation, which can take an entire day to complete, involves a group of doctors removing and replacing the damaged part of the aorta with a synthetic tube.
The tube, strangely called a frozen elephant trunk, is sewn together to replace Jeantte’s aorta.
Amit can then be seen removing the faulty aortic valve before sewing in a new one made from animal tissue.
“This is not a routine procedure and the risks are high,” explained Amid.
It surprises me how I can stop and restart my heart every time I have this operation
Amit Modi
During the procedure, your heart stops and your body is connected to a heart-lung bypass machine, which will temporarily oxygenate and pump blood throughout your body.
The longer Jeanette’s heart is not used, the greater the risk of it not working again when she comes out of the bypass.
Amit also needs to ensure that the stitches on the new synthetic aorta are perfect – if they are not watertight, it could suffer fatal bleeding.
After six hours in the operating room, Jenattes’ heart appears to be pounding, her new valve is working and the synthetic aorta is carrying blood to her body.
“Even though I have had more than 1,500 heart procedures, I still feel how miraculous the heart is.
“I’m amazed how I can stop and restart my heart every time I have this operation.”
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Recovery
Eight months later, Jeanette appeared to be recovering well at home, surrounded by her family.
“Little by little, I’m getting back to my normal routine,” said the grandmother.
“I don’t worry about the aneurysm bursting.”
She added: “I owe a lot to Mr Modi; he gave me my life back.”
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What is heart failure? And what are the symptoms?
Heart failure means that the heart cannot pump blood around the body properly.
It usually happens because the heart has become too weak or stiff.
It can occur at any age, but is more common in older people.
The main symptoms of heart failure are:
- Shortness of breath after activity or at rest
- Feeling tired most of the time and finding exercise exhausting
- Feeling dizzy or fainting
- Swollen ankles and legs
Some people also experience other symptoms, such as a persistent cough, rapid heartbeat and dizziness.
Symptoms may develop quickly (acute heart failure) or gradually over weeks or months (chronic heart failure).
In most cases, it cannot be cured, but symptoms can often be controlled for many years.
What can cause this?
Heart failure is often the result of a number of problems that affect the heart at the same time.
Conditions that can lead to heart failure include:
- Coronary heart disease – where the arteries supplying blood to the heart become blocked with fatty substances (atherosclerosis), which can cause angina or heart attack
- High blood pressure – this can put extra pressure on the heart, which over time can lead to heart failure
- Conditions that affect the heart muscle (cardiomyopathy)
- Heart rhythm problems (arrhythmias), such as atrial fibrillation
- Damage or other problems with the heart valves
- Congenital heart disease – birth defects that affect the normal functioning of the heart
Sometimes obesity, anemia, excessive alcohol consumption, an overactive thyroid or high pressure in the lungs (pulmonary hypertension) can also cause heart failure.
When to see a doctor
Consult a family doctor if you experience persistent or gradually worsening symptoms of heart failure.
Call 999 for an ambulance or go to your nearest emergency room as soon as possible if you have sudden or very serious symptoms.
Several tests can be used to help check how well your heart is working, including blood tests, an ECG, and an echocardiogram.
Source: SNS
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