Patient Praises Beaumont’s Fast-acting Heart Team
Aortic dissection: rare condition often fatal
For Cynthia Lind, 69, of Bingham Farms, it’s been almost a year since her emergency heart surgery- a complex procedure that not only saved her life, but made her a more caring person.
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| Cynthia enjoys traveling to Massachusetts and Texas to visit her grandchildren. |
“It’s a very special and joyous Christmas this year. It’s just great to be alive,” says Cynthia.
This past January, while at home, she felt a sudden flash, like lightning. This lightning didn’t come from outside her house, but from within her body.
What had just happened? She asked herself, “Did I just have a heart attack? Was I having a stroke?” The incident came with no forewarning.
She started to feel weak and began cramping up. This was accompanied by a tingling going down her leg.
“I got very scared,” recalls Cynthia. “I remember thinking, ‘should I take an aspirin?’” She searched for the pain reliever, but found none.
In her weakened state, she lay on her bed frightened and in disbelief. She called 9-1-1.
EMS took her to the Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak Emergency Center.
After arriving at the hospital, she experienced a “moment of terror” when she coughed up large amounts of blood. Following that, she remembers very little.
Cardiovascular surgeon Phillip Robinson, M.D., recalls, “Ms. Lind presented with stroke and respiratory failure.”
After a CT scan, she was whisked away to surgery. There, Dr. Robinson and his team verified the source of Cynthia’s “sudden flash” - a tear in her aorta. The aorta is the largest artery in the body. Larger than a garden hose, it passes blood through the heart to the rest of the body.
This life-threatening condition, known as an aortic dissection, is not only rare, but often deadly. It occurs when the inner and middle layers separate or dissect. This results in a significant decrease in blood flow to vital organs. Aortic dissection also weakens the wall of the aorta. This weakening can cause a rupture or an aneurysm.
Explains Dr. Robinson, “Of the more than 1,000 heart surgeries done at Beaumont Health System annually, we probably perform about 30 to 40 aortic dissections procedures. We get a lot of referrals from other health systems in our region.”
Dr. Robinson and the ten members of his team went to work on Cynthia’s ascending aorta. They repaired her aortic valve and replaced a five-inch segment of her aorta with a Dacron tube. In order to sew the graft in place, he explained they temporarily shut down her blood flow using a technique called hypothermic circulatory arrest. They cooled her body, lowering the metabolic activity for about 15 minutes.
After surgery, she was in the ICU and was home after one week.
Fast forward eleven months and Cynthia is still working in her family paving business and preparing to travel over the holidays.
Her life has changed since her surgery. She explains, “I’m nicer than I used to be. I was more direct, but now I’m much more empathetic.” And while she continues to enjoy traveling, she says she’s more cautious – choosing destinations near trauma centers.
Sums up a grateful Cynthia, “Dr. Robinson and his team saved my life. Thank you!”