Acute Type A Aortic Dissection is a rare but highly lethal condition that occurs in 3-6/100,000 people annually. It carries a 1%/hour mortality rate following diagnosis. Once this deadly condition is diagnosed, time is of the essence and emergent surgical repair provides life-saving therapy. It is well known that patients with acute Type A dissection have improved survival when they undergo surgical repair in high-volume aortic programs with surgeons who are experienced in treating patients with aortic dissection.
Recently, two patients in Atlanta, GA, and one patient in Columbus, GA were diagnosed with an Acute Type A Aortic Dissection. On that day, Brent Keeling, MD, was on call for the Emory Aortic Dissection Team. The Emory Aortic Program has a dedicated team of three highly experienced cardiac surgeons, along with several vascular surgeons, located at Emory University Hospital, Emory University Hospital Midtown, and Emory Saint Joseph’s Hospital with expertise in treating patients with acute Type A Aortic Dissection.
After Dr. Keeling received the phone call from the Emory Transfer Center regarding the first patient with a Type A dissection, he made plans to perform surgery at Emory University Hospital Midtown. He subsequently received phone calls regarding the other two patients with Type A dissections. As Emory is the only health system in metropolitan Atlanta that performs cardiac surgery at three different sites, Dr. Keeling was able to immediately activate the other two Emory Aortic Program cardiac surgeons and accommodate all three patients without a delay in treatment.