Types Of Aortic Dissection

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The heart is a life-giving organ- like every part of any organism- but while our bodies can function in spite of multi-system failure, it cannot continue without the heart. There are several cases
Our hearts pump necessary oxygen and nutrients through our bodies

Aortic dissection is an emergent, life-threatening condition in which blood makes its way in between two layers of the aortic wall (NYU.com, 2014). A tear in the inner layer, or intima, allows blood to flow into the middle layer called the media. This causes a “false lumen.” The pressure of the outgoing blood causes the blood to burrow further and further. Several different scenarios can play out if this happens. This burrowing can put pressure on the aortic branches, causing them to narrow and reduce blood flow to the brain and other organs (NIH.gov, 2014); the blood can burrow back through the intima at a distal point, reentering the true lumen; the blood can clot inside the false lumen, or the false lumen can rupture causing rapid blood loss and possibly death.
There are two types of aortic dissection under the Stanford classification system (Medscape.com, 2014). This system groups dissections according to the location and helps to outline the course of treatment. Type A involves the ascending aorta, and type B does not. Usually type A dissections require surgery to repair, while type B is monitored and controlled with medications. Dissections that occur within two weeks of the initial event or tear are considered acute, and usually need immediate attention.
The risk factors for aortic dissection include some that are preventable or controllable such as atherosclerosis and high blood pressure, which constitutes at least 65% of all cases (Mayoclinic.org, 2014a). Ot...

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...ing on animals, he finally felt he was ready to try it on a human vessel. He also invented a roller-pump machine that lead to the development of the heart-lung bypass machine, a ventricular assist device, and numerous techniques for repairing the aorta.
In December 2005 Dr. DeBakey, 97, felt a tearing pain in his chest that radiated to his back and neck. The pain was “intolerable” and he figured that he was having a heart attack, but did not call for help. He waited for the pain to stop my means of cardiac arrest, but that never came. He refused to be admitted to a hospital until late January, where his health worsened and he became unresponsive. The only answer was surgery, but the anesthesiologists refused to give Dr. DeBakey general anesthetic because of his age. They also claimed he had signed an advanced directive that stated he did not want any surgery.

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