My Grandfather’s Aortic Dissection – Do You Know the Symptoms?

Late last year my grandfather suffered from an Aortic Dissection and almost lost his life. It was a very scary time for me and my family and today, I wanted to share our story with all of you.

Last October he got up very early in the morning and was complaining of chest pain and some upper to mid back pain. This pain came on very quickly and within minutes it was unbearable for him.

My grandmother thought he was having a heart attack so she called the local ambulance to come get him. They treated him on-scene to stabilize him and then hauled him off to the hospital. Once there they ran a few tests and within 40 minutes of his arrival he was in the operating room having surgery.

My grandfather did not have a heart attack although his symptoms were similar to one. Instead, he suffered from an Aortic Dissection and had to have emergency surgery to save his life.

An Aortic Dissection is when a tear occurs in the inner wall of the aorta and forces your blood to flow in-between the layers. If the Aortic Dissection results in a rupture it has an 80% mortality rate. Luckily for us, his did not rupture and he got to the hospital in time.

Today we wanted to bring a little awareness to this problem so that others out there don’t mistake it as being a heart attack. If you or any member of your family is having chest pain, especially a quick onset of chest pain, it is extremely important to get to a hospital immediately for intervention and care.

Do you know anyone who has ever had an Aortic Dissection? If so, what was their outcome?