From Provider to Patient: A Flight Paramedics Story of Aortic Dissection

Early detection and management of any disease process is paramount to a good outcome. However, what if you had early detection, treatment wasn’t indicated and a few weeks later you had to say goodbye to your family? On March 9th, 2023, that’s exactly what happened to me. Diagnosed with an enclosed rupture of the ascending aorta, I was rushed to the operating room hypotensive and bradycardic. The team worked feverishly for the next 8 hours during which time I was put in profound hypothermic arrest as they tried to keep me from bleeding to death. The next morning, on my 47th birthday I woke up in the ICU, restrained and intubated.
As a critical care flight paramedic, I have transported countless numbers of patients diagnosed with aortic aneurisms. When I was informed how extensive the damage was to mine, I knew I was in trouble. This presentation will not only detail what aortic dissections are, but what it feels like being on the other side of surviving one.