20 February 2004
My fully independent 80 year old mother was diagnosed with an asymptomatic aneurysm of the ascending aorta in October 2003. Measurements varied, but it was clearly over 6cm. when it was discovered during an unrelated hospitalization following a fall. The discovery precipitated a process of education for her and us, her adult children, regarding the significance of this diagnosis and the options (if any) for treatment.
After several consultations with unhelpful medical professionals, we luckily ended up at Stanford Medical Center in Palo Alto, California. They evaluated mother for surgery, concluded that her heart, lungs, and kidneys were strong, and that she had a good chance of surviving a surgical correction. Mom decided to have the surgery and an extensive aortic replacement surgery was performed by Scott Mitchell, M.D. at Stanford on January 22, 2004.
Mother's recovery has been rocky, to say the least. Toward the end of the surgery, she suffered some kind of allergic reaction and her lungs filled with fluid (pulmonary edema). As a result, she was kept unconscious, supported by a heart pump and a ventilator, for about 10 days. She finally rallied, however, and was released from Stanford about 3 weeks after her surgery. She's now in an acute rehab hospital getting her strength back, re-educating her muscles, and learning how to eat, walk, bathe, etc. again.
When I looked at this website last fall, I didn't see any story like this one, so I wanted to post this in the event that any other adult children of otherwise healthy octogenarians wonder whether surgical correction of such an aneurysm is an option. We've all got a ways to go, but it looks like mother's surgery was a success and she will be able to return to her former lifestyle with some additional support.