Three patients with different clinical histories, a single emergency to be addressed as promptly as possible. In 72 hours the Cardiac Surgery department of the Papardo hospital directed by Professor Francesco Patanè was called to intervene on three cases of aortic dissection, among the most complex and demanding conditions of cardiovascular surgery.
A woman aged 60 and two men aged 47 and 78, the latter with a condition characterized by serious comorbidities. Three different situations, united by the need for a rapid diagnosis and a care path capable of bringing the patient quickly to surgery and, subsequently, to adequate post-operative support. «Aortic dissection, caused by laceration of the internal layer of the aorta wall, can evolve rapidly and, when it affects the segments that require surgical treatment, requires an immediate specialist response. It is not only the operative act, therefore, that determines the quality of the assistance, but the entire path that precedes and follows it”, explained the prof. Patane. The work of the simple post-operative cardiac surgery intensive care unit, directed by Silvio Tommasini, is part of this path. After the operation, the patient’s management continues in intensive care, where continuous monitoring, organ support and control of clinical evolution constitute an essential phase of the treatment. Cardiac surgeons, anesthetists, perfusionists, nurses and intensive care staff therefore work within the same care chain, in which each step is closely connected to the next: «it is a highly complex activity, which requires speed, coordination and full availability of the different professionals. In these 72 hours we have faced three emergencies while guaranteeing the continuity of the planned activity, despite a significant staff shortage”, concluded Patanè.
