The well-known figure of Cyprus, Sedat Hacımehmet was undergone coronary artery bypass graft surgery due to aortic dissection occurred during a heart attack. His health was restored with three simultaneous successful operations
Date Added: 14 December 2018, 22:01
Last Updated Date:19 November 2020, 16:15

The Chairman of Cyprus Turkish Association of Persons with Disabilities, Sedat Hacımehmet was undergone 3 simultaneous operations in a single session including coronary bypass surgery on three blocked arteries, aortic valve restoration and aortic dissection surgery on two ruptures on aorta. The Patient's health was restored successfully, and discharged following his postoperative care and rehabilitation.
Admitting to the Emergency Service of Near East University Hospital with complaints associated with a sudden onset of severe chest and back pain, the Chairman of Cyprus Turkish Association of Persons with Disabilities, Sedat Hacımehmet was diagnosed with heart attack following the first examination and tests performed by specialists from the Department of Cardiology. Since the patient's condition is critical, an urgent coronary angiography was performed and severe obstructions in arteries as well as aortic ruptures were detected during the procedure.

Spec. Dr. Ali Önder Kılıç: "The Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery, Aortic Valve Restoration and Aortic Dissection Surgery that We Had to Perform While the Patient Was Experiencing a Heart Attack Further Increased the Size and Risk of the Operation"
Delivering information regarding the procedure, the cardiovascular specialist doctor Ali Önder Kılıç stated that a rupture in the part of aorta, which began where aorta exits the heart and extends into the abdomen, was detected during further tomographic imaging.

Expressing that the patients, who were experiencing heart attack, weren't immediately taken under operation, Cardiovascular Surgeon Ali Önder Kılıç stated that the surgical procedure was generally performed after the patient recovered from heart attack and felt comfortable. "However, due to aortic dissection that extended into the abdomen, we didn't have such an option to wait the patient to recover from heart attack. Therefore, we had to take the patient under an urgent operation while he was experiencing a heart attack and this further increased the size and risk of the surgery” said he.

Indicating that the patient was suffering not only from aortic rupture but also aortic valve impairment and narrowing in three arteries due to obstruction, cardiovascular specialist doctor Ali Önder Kılıç stated that the patient was undergone three delicate operations lasting approximately five hours and his health was restored without experiencing any perioperative complications. He stated that the patient was admitted to the cardiovascular normal ward for 5 days after having been monitored in the intensive care unit for 4 days.

Asst. Prof. Dr. Özlem Balcıoğlu: "Due to the Comorbid Diseases of the Patient, It Was a Very Challenging Operation with High Risk of Mortality"
Expressing that the chest wall scoliosis of the patient was also made the operation very challenging and risky, Asst. Prof. Dr. Özlem Balçıoğlu stated that a challenging process was also experienced during taking saphenous vein from the leg for coronary artery bypass surgery as the patient was a person with walking disability.

“It was a very challenging procedure with 90% perioperative mortality risk. In this case, the patient was experiencing a heart attack, aortic dissection, and aortic valve impairment and narrowing in 3 arteries due to obstructions, and what's more he was suffering from a chest wall scoliosis. After all, Aortic dissection surgery itself is challenging and associated with substantial risk of perioperative mortality. The necessity of performing aortic dissection surgery, aortic valve restoration and coronary artery bypass surgery while the patient was experiencing a heart attack further increased the perioperative mortality risk. Although the patient was undergone one of the highest risk cardiovascular surgeries, the patient's health was restored successfully without experiencing any perioperative complications.

Touching upon the potential complications that could be experienced during the postoperative process, Asst. Prof. Dr. Balcıoğlu stated that some patients couldn't be woken up after surgery, some patients couldn't wean off cardiopulmonary bypass, and some of them might develop major complications such as stroke including limb movement failure as well as renal failure. “However, such complications were not experienced. Knowledge of the state-of-the-art surgical aspects is certainly of great value to the physicians involved in the treatment of these patients at any level. In the current era, this is therefore a “hot topic” and these surgeries can be performed only in rare major centers around the world. Thanks to the latest technological devices and treatment techniques and the competency of highly qualified and experienced physicians, the Near East University Hospital carries out all types of cardiovascular surgeries effectively and successfully in safe hands. When we consider the patient's condition and the mortality risk of the operation, the success of the aortic dissection, aortic valve restoration and coronary artery bypass operations that performed simultaneously in one session by NEU Hospital Cardiovascular Surgery Department is very significant” said she.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Barçın Özcem: "The Greatest Chance of the Patient Was the Early Diagnosis and In-time Cardiovascular Surgical Intervention"
The specialist doctor Associate Professor Barçın Özcem from the Cardiovascular Department of Near East University Hospital stated that the greatest survival chance of the patient, who was suffering from two aortic dissections and heart attack at the same time, was the early diagnosis and timely cardiovascular surgical intervention.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Barçın Özcem: "Only Half of the Patients Experiencing Aortic Dissection Can Reach a Hospital"
Expressing that only half of the patients particularly with aortic dissection could survive and reach a hospital, the cardiovascular surgeon Associate Professor Barçın Özcem stated that early diagnosis and timely and accurate cardiovascular surgical operation is critical for survival. If the patient isn't taken under surgical intervention and left untreated, the mortality risk increases almost two percent per hour.

“It was a challenging cardiovascular operation as the patient was experiencing aortic dissection, aortic valve impairment, narrowing in 3 arteries due to obstruction along with heart attack and chest wall scoliosis. The structural deformations due to the previous surgeries that the patient undergone, were the other factors that further increased the mortality risk. By taking the patient's condition into consideration, as the cardiovascular surgery team, we initiated a delicate and sophisticated operation to restore the patient's health. Since the protection of the heart, other organs and the brain is the cornerstone of successful aortic arch surgery, our qualified and highly experienced cardiovascular surgery team put the patient into a carefully managed clinical state by stopping blood circulation and brain function and cooling the patient's body temperature below 20°C. Since aortic dissection is a medical emergency requiring immediate treatment, the section of the aorta where the dissection had formed and extended into abdomen was replaced with a synthetic graft. The aortic valve which was leaking as a result of damaged aorta was repaired and a coronary artery bypass graft surgery was performed successfully. Following the surgery, the patient was taken to the intensive care unit for delicate care and monitoring. Considering the patient's scoliosis, substantial respiratory physiotherapy was provided throughout the intensive care process. Following the physiotherapeutic rehabilitation process in the cardiovascular surgery ward, the patient's health was restored without experiencing any postoperative complications" noted he.