21 August 2004
It was in the fall of 1969,I was 32 years old when the first episode occurred. I was a career US Army Warrant Officer stationed in Germany. I went to speak with the Commanding Officer and just before I entered his office I felt myself falling, I felt dizzy, it lasted for a few seconds and I prevented my fall by grabbing a desk. It happened again while driving to work one day, and also while carrying a heavy object down the staircase. I reported it to the Medic and he said it might be my blood pressure and the next time it happened, go and have my blood pressure checked right away. I went to the Doctor and he said it was probably caused by my ears and that everything checked out fine. These episodes of dizziness occurred sporatically for next two years.
In early 1972, I considered purchasing a small motor cycle to use for going to and from work. I thought it wise to consult a Doctor about my dizzy spells prior to the purchase. The Doctor at Fort MacArthur, in San Pedro, Ca. said that it was vertigo, caused by my ears, and prescribed Niacin. I purchased the motor cycle. On Nov. 10, 1972, at 7:20AM, while on the way to work, I passed out, and fell off the motor cycle. I lay unconcious on the road. A vehicle came around the bend in the road and ran over my chest. I was dragged for a considerable distance and suffered many serious injuries.
It was reported to me later that I was DOA at Malibu Emergency. Then I imagine, someone felt a faint pulse and they rushed me to Santa Monica Lutheran Hosp. Because of distension of the mediastinum and removal of 800 ccs of blood surrounding the pericardial sac, someone decided to perform an arch aortigraph. That's when they discovered I had a complete dissection of the aortic arch just proximal to the left subclavian artery. The dissected ends were separated by 6 cms.
Doctor S.Allan Hervitz of Los Angeles and his younger Brother decided to perform surgery. Dr. Hervitz orderd an aortic graft of teflon and dacron and when it arrived he and his brother performed the surgery. The surgery was very long and difficult and required many many units of blood. He used the Spencer Shunt technique. I was told about 45 units of blood were used. During surgery I suffered 6 bouts of ventricular fibrillation and one cardic stand still. All successfully electrocardioverted, including manual massage directly to the heart.
Although Dr. Hervitz diagnosed it as a traumatic anyeurism of the arotic arch, he said that I probably had this aneurism for a long time. I was transferred to the US Naval Hosp in Long Beach, Ca. where months later I was diagnosed as a paraplegic vascular etiology. I was discharged from the Army and sent to the Veterans Hosp. in Long Beach where two years and two months later I was discharged, confined to wheelchair.
I was told the aortic graft would last about 20 years, so I contacted Dr. Michael DeBakey, the inventor of the teflon/dacron graft and sought his advice. He responded with a beautiful letter, telling me that he has reports that people are now living with these grafts for over 30 years.
I will be 67 years old in Oct. and in Nov. I will celebrate 32 years post anyeurism with this teflon/dacron graft. I am still in contact with Dr. Hervitz. I have coronary artery disease and have had 2 heart attacks. In Sept. 2001 I had angiography performed at the Cleveland Clinc. The Doctor told me that the aortic graft was holding up well and looked very good. He said it was amazing that I survived.
I have lived a good and happy life and I am truly grateful to God for the skills of the Hervitz brothers.
© Copyright 2004 Dino DiMarco
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