title: Aortic dissection in the second trimester of pregnancy: is it possible to save both lives?
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.
authors: Clinic for Cardiac Surgery, Serbian Clinical Center, Belgrade, Serbia. svetozar073@yahoo.com
authors: Svetozar M
authors: SM
authors: Putnik
authors: Bojan D
authors: BD
authors: Nikolić
authors: Ivan A
authors: IA
authors: Divac
authors: Miljko N
authors: MN
authors: Ristić
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001011:Aorta / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D017545:Aortic Aneurysm, Thoracic / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D002315:Cardiopulmonary Bypass / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D006439:Hemodynamics; D006801:Humans; D010477:Perfusion; D011093:Polyethylene Terephthalates; D011247:Pregnancy; D011262:Pregnancy Trimester, Second
chemical_list: D011093:Polyethylene Terephthalates