Aortic Dissection Repair Argumentative

Felicia M. Salgado

Mr. Belmont

College Composition 2

8 March 2017

Argumentative

A Thoracic Aortic Dissection Repair is

More Complicated and Risky than a Heart Transplant Many people believe that a heart transplant is more complicated and risky than most surgeries because it involves removing the diseased heart and replacing it with a healthy heart. Although this surgical procedure is very difficult compared to most surgeries, a thoracic aortic dissection repair is more risky, complicated, and challenging. A thoracic aortic dissection is a serious condition in which the inner layer of the aorta, the large blood vessel branching off the heart, tears. Blood surges through the tear, causing the inner and middle layers of the aorta to separate

When left untreated, about thirty-three percent of patients die within the first twenty-four hours, and fifty percent die within the first forty-eight hours. The two week mortality rate approaches seventy-five percent in patients with undiagnosed ascending aortic dissection (Aortic Dissection). Unfortunately, not all patients are candidates for surgery because the individual will need to be able to withstand the stresses introduced by surgery. If it is determined that a patient will be unable to tolerate surgery, medical management will be the patient's best option (Aortic Dissection). There are a number of ways to repair or replace the portion of an aorta damaged by a dissection such as open-heart surgery, endovascular surgery, and valve-sparing surgery. These options will depend on aspects such as where the dissection is located, how much of the aorta needs to be repaired or replaced, and the overall state of the patient’s health (Aortic Dissection Repair). The risks involved in surgery are appreciable, but far lower than not operating. The average mortality or risk of death from a thoracic aortic dissection repair is about fifteen percent, but a given patient's risk will vary depending factors such as age and overall health status

This machine does the work of the patient’s heart and lungs while they are stopped (Heart Transplant Procedure). The main arteries are also connected to the machine to pump the patient’s blood, and supplies the body with oxygen. Most heart transplants are done with a method called orthotopic surgery, where most of the heart is removed but the back half of both upper chambers, called atria, are left in place (Heart Transplant Procedure). The front half of the donor heart is then sewn to the back half of the old heart and the donor's aorta and pulmonary arteries are connected to the individual’s (Heart Transplant Procedure). This surgical procedure is considered one of the easier heart surgeries and is not complicated to perform. Approximately 85 to 90 percent of heart transplant patients are living one year after the surgery, with an annual death rate of approximately four percent thereafter. When the patient has lived for about three years after the procedure, the survival rate approaches about 75 percent (Patient education: Heart transplantation (Beyond the Basics)). In the first year, most deaths are due either to acute rejection (18 percent) or infections (22 percent). Infections often develop as a result of the anti-rejection medications and weakened immune system that are required to prevent rejection (Patient education: Heart