Cleveland Rocks!

Mom was taken to surgery at 8:30 (EST) We were told to expect the first procedure to run approximately 2 hours, with primary stent graft aorta repair deployment taking approximately 6 hours. In others words... a really long day for every one. Mom claims she wasn't the least bit nervous ...but the blood pressure monitor told otherwise in the pre-op room. I think that is to be expected. You know, the aorta is a wondrous thing. It is the main artery in the human body, originating from the left ventricle of the heart and extending down to the abdomen, where it splits into two smaller arteries. The aorta distributes oxygenated blood to all parts of the body through the systemic circulation. So having a healthy aorta is a healthy aorta is...well, a pretty big deal!

I really have to brag on this 'trial' that Cleveland Clinic is conducting that Mom qualified as a surgical candidate for repair. Traditionally, if you have an aneurysm ( dilation or ballooning of part of the aorta ) that is behind the heart like Mom's or in the large and in the abdomen (also like Mom's) the only was to repair is with an 'open incision' surgery. Besides the obvious recovery aspect s of long anesthesia and a large incision there is a greater risk of paralysis from swelling of the aorta. This newer procedure is a microsurgery. Not even a band aid. The general anesthesia time is minimal. More importantly through a series of very sophisticated computerized monitoring of spinal fluid, and  more things than I can enumerate here, the risks overall are reduced dramatically. This is the only place in the world offering this procedure and they have been doing it for 9 years! I say this to encourage anyone you know that has a problem with an inoperable aneurysm to seek out Dr Eagleton. While it is still considered a trial they have done over a thousand cases. Medicare & Aetna are paying so I assume other insurance policies will also pay. This is literally a life saving surgery! I just can't say enough good things about everyone here at Cleveland Clinic. Traveling to a hospital out of town isn't fun, but sometimes necessary.

By the way..this was NOT a paid endorsement :)

All of this to say..so far, so good. I will keep you posted