Aortic dissection in the second trimester of pregnancy: is it possible to save both lives?

Heart Surg Forum. 2011 Oct;14(5):E307-8. doi: 10.1532/HSF98.20111023.

Abstract

Aortic dissection during pregnancy is a potentially catastrophic clinical condition and can be lethal to both mother and fetus. The treatment of aortic dissection in pregnancy is based on location, severity, and gestational age. We report a case of acute aortic dissection in a 30-year-old female patient in her 26th week of gestation. Ascending aorta resection and interposition of a 26-mm Dacron graft was carried out without circulatory arrest by means of a double-felt "sandwich" technique on both anastomoses. The patient was discharged from the hospital 10 days after her initial admission. At the 34th week of gestation, the patient delivered a healthy baby by cesarean section. Because our patient was hemodynamically unstable, our aim at the 26th week of gestation was to perform a simplified surgical procedure, to avoid circulatory arrest, and to maintain a high perfusion pressure, in order to save the patient's life and to decrease the potential risk of damage to the fetus.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aorta / pathology
  • Aorta / surgery*
  • Aortic Aneurysm, Thoracic / pathology
  • Aortic Aneurysm, Thoracic / surgery*
  • Cardiopulmonary Bypass / methods
  • Female
  • Hemodynamics
  • Humans
  • Perfusion
  • Polyethylene Terephthalates
  • Pregnancy
  • Pregnancy Trimester, Second*

Substances

  • Polyethylene Terephthalates