09/05/2026
โฅ๏ธ It's month!
Unlike emergency aortic dissection surgery, most surgeries are elective.
Today, we are starting a series: Inside Aortic Surgery written by Emmanuel Mbaka, "The African Perfusionist"
๐ฃ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐น๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐ถ๐ฐ ๐ฆ๐๐ฟ๐ด๐ฒ๐ฟ๐
When you are told that you need aortic surgery, your mind can immediately jump to the operating room.
You may start imagining the surgeon, the anesthesia, the heart-lung machine, and everything that might happen while you are asleep.
But there is something important to remember:
๐ฌ๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐๐๐ฟ๐ด๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐ฑ๐ผ๐ฒ๐๐ป'๐ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ด๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ป ๐๐ผ๐ ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ผ๐บ.
Preparation begins long before that.
And as a patient, ๐๐ผ๐ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ถ๐บ๐ฝ๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป.
๐๐ผ๐๐ป๐น๐ผ๐ฎ๐ฑ ๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ฃ๐ฆ๐ฃ (๐ฃ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ฟ๐ด๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐น ๐ฃ๐น๐ฎ๐ป) ๐๐ผ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ผ ๐ต๐ฒ๐น๐ฝ ๐๐ผ๐ ๐ฝ๐น๐ฎ๐ป ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐ผ๐บ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฟ๐ผ๐.
https://www.aortichope.org/_files/ugd/dff9d2_415e686bdc2548439e9547ff740d00c2.pdf
Before your surgery, ๐๐ฎ๐ธ๐ฒ ๐๐ถ๐บ๐ฒ ๐๐ผ ๐๐ป๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฝ๐น๐ฎ๐ป๐ป๐ฒ๐ฑ .Ask your surgical team questions. ๐ช๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ฒ๐
๐ฎ๐ฐ๐๐น๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฑ? ๐ช๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ต๐ผ๐๐น๐ฑ ๐๐ผ๐ ๐ฒ๐
๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ ๐ฎ๐ณ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐๐ฟ๐ด๐ฒ๐ฟ๐? ๐ช๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐บ๐ฒ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ ๐๐ต๐ผ๐๐น๐ฑ ๐๐ผ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ธ๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐๐ผ๐ฝ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป? ๐๐ผ๐ ๐น๐ผ๐ป๐ด ๐บ๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐ ๐๐ผ๐ ๐ฏ๐ฒ ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ต๐ผ๐๐ฝ๐ถ๐๐ฎ๐น? ๐ช๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ถ๐น๐น ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐ฎ๐ ๐ต๐ผ๐บ๐ฒ ๐น๐ผ๐ผ๐ธ ๐น๐ถ๐ธ๐ฒ?
There is no such thing as a "silly" question when it comes to your health.
Write your questions down.
๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ผ๐บ๐ฒ๐ผ๐ป๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐ ๐๐ฟ๐๐๐ ๐๐ผ ๐ฎ๐ฝ๐ฝ๐ผ๐ถ๐ป๐๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ ๐ถ๐ณ ๐ฝ๐ผ๐๐๐ถ๐ฏ๐น๐ฒ. Sometimes having another person listening helps because surgery can be overwhelming, and it is easy to forget information afterward.
๐ฃ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ฎ๐น๐๐ผ ๐ฒ๐
๐๐ฒ๐ป๐ฑ๐ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐๐ผ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ต๐ผ๐๐ฝ๐ถ๐๐ฎ๐น.
Think about your home.
๐ช๐ต๐ผ ๐๐ถ๐น๐น ๐ต๐ฒ๐น๐ฝ ๐๐ผ๐ ๐ฑ๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ณ๐ถ๐ฟ๐๐ ๐ณ๐ฒ๐ ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐๐ ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ธ๐? ๐ช๐ต๐ผ ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ต๐ฒ๐น๐ฝ ๐๐ถ๐๐ต ๐บ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐น๐, ๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ป๐๐ฝ๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป, ๐บ๐ฒ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐, ๐ฐ๐ต๐ถ๐น๐ฑ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ป, ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐ผ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐ฝ๐ผ๐ป๐๐ถ๐ฏ๐ถ๐น๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ฒ๐? ๐๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ป๐๐๐ต๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ผ๐ ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ด๐ฎ๐ป๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐๐๐ฟ๐ด๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐๐ผ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ผ๐ ๐ฑ๐ผ๐ป'๐ ๐ต๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ผ ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฟ๐ ๐ฎ๐ฏ๐ผ๐๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐๐ต๐ถ๐น๐ฒ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ป๐ด?
And then there is the preparation that nobody can see.
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฒ๐บ๐ผ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ฎ๐น ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป.
You may feel frightened.
You may feel angry.
You may feel hopeful one day and anxious the next.
All of those feelings are understandable.
You don't have to pretend that you're not afraid.
Ask questions. Talk to your healthcare team. Talk to your family. Find support from people who understand what you're going through.
๐๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐๐๐ฒ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ถ๐๐ป'๐ ๐ฎ๐ฏ๐ผ๐๐ ๐ธ๐ป๐ผ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฒ๐
๐ฎ๐ฐ๐๐น๐ ๐ต๐ผ๐ ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐๐ต๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ถ๐น๐น ๐ด๐ผ.
๐๐'๐ ๐ฎ๐ฏ๐ผ๐๐ ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐๐ฟ๐ด๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐๐ถ๐๐ต ๐ฎ๐ ๐บ๐๐ฐ๐ต ๐๐ป๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ๐ถ๐ป๐ด, ๐๐๐ฝ๐ฝ๐ผ๐ฟ๐, ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐ณ๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ ๐ฝ๐ผ๐๐๐ถ๐ฏ๐น๐ฒ.
Your surgical team has a role to play.
And so do you.
