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Guidelines for sites linking to mayoclinic.orgIntro: Those who experience it say they will never forget the pain. Pain from a condition that strikes suddenly, and if left untreated, kills most of its victims. That's because many people who have an aortic dissection -- a tearing of the lining of the artery carrying blood from your heart -- think they're having heart attacks. And by the time they get the proper treatment, it's often too late. Surgery for this condition is nothing short of amazing.
| Video | Audio |
| Total running time 1:31 | "I DEVELOPED A TERRIBLE PAIN IN MY CHEST AND IN MY BACK." |
| IN CHUCK BENIDT'S CASE ... | |
| Patrick DeValeria, M.D. | "TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE." |
| DR. PATRICK DEVALERIA KNEW HE HAD TO GET CHUCK TO SURGERY. FAST. | |
Patrick DeValeria, M.D. Mayo Clinic Surgeon |
"THE MOST COMMON REASON PEOPLE WITH AORTIC DISSECTIONS DIE IS BECAUSE IT LITERALLY TEARS THROUGH AND RUPTURES THE AORTA AND THEY BLEED TO DEATH INTO THEIR CHEST." |
To animation |
CHUCK'S AORTIC DISSECTION STARTED AT THE AORTIC VALVE, THE VALVE THAT CONTROLS BLOOD FLOW FROM YOUR HEART. IT HAPPENED BECAUSE HIS VESSEL WALL WAS WEAK. BLOOD PULSED THROUGH A LAYER OF THAT WALL, CAUSING A TEAR THAT RAN ALMOST THE ENTIRE LENGTH OF HIS BODY. IF IT RUPTURED, CHUCK COULD DIE. |
Patrick DeValeria, M.D. Mayo Clinic Surgeon |
"ALL OF THIS BLOOD IS WHERE IT DOESN'T BELONG." |
VO: surgery video Standup Vivien Williams Reporting |
TO FIX THE TEAR, DR. DEVALERIA HAD TO USE A SURGICAL TECHNIQUE CALLED CIRCULATORY ARREST. FIRST HE COOLED CHUCK'S BODY FROM A NORMAL 98 DEGREES TO 60 DEGREES FARENHEIGHT -- ABOUT THE TEMPERATURE OF COOL WATER. |
Patrick DeValeria, M.D. (12:35) Mayo Clinic Surgeon |
"AND THEN LITERALLY DRAIN THE BLOOD OUT OF THE BODY SO THAT THE PATIENT IS, FOR LACK OF A BETTER TERM, IN A STATE OF SUSPENDED ANIMATION. THEY HAVE NO BLOOD IN THEIR BODY. THEY HAVE NO CIRCULATION. THEY HAVE NO BLOOD PRESSURE. THEY HAVE NO BRAIN WAVES." |
| AFTER THE TEAR IS REPAIRED. BLOOD -- LIFE -- GOES BACK IN. | |
| Chuck Benidt | "IT'S A MIRACLE THAT I'M HERE. IS IT AWESOME? YOU BET." |
| "GIN." | |
| MONTHS AFTER CHUCK'S INCREDIBLE ORDEAL ... | |
| Chuck | "I WON A GAIN. HA. HA." |
| HE'S BACK. BACK TO ENJOYING THE SIMPLE THINGS LIKE A GAME OF GIN WITH HIS WIFE BEA. | |
| "OH, BOY" | |
| FOR MEDICAL EDGE, I'M VIVIEN WILLIAMS. |
Tag: Several thousand people in the U.S. die from aortic dissections each year. The key to survival is getting medical help fast. The three main risk factors for the condition are, chronic high blood pressure, a connective tissue disorder that weakens vessel walls, and a family history of the disease. For more information on aortic dissection, log onto our Web site at ...
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