The Centers for Disease Control estimates that more than 43,000 people die annually from aortic disease.
The Aortic Center, a part of Baylor Heart and Vascular Services at Dallas, focuses on treating complex
conditions related to the aorta. The Center’s clinical team understands the importance of early identification
and swift referral to the appropriate surgical specialists – including cardiac surgeons and vascular surgeons.
Using advanced diagnostic testing, the Center is able to
understand the intricacies of each individual patient’s
situation, proceed with the best endovascular or open
treatment option for the patient’s circumstances, and
rely on innovation and evidence-based research for
novel approaches to cardiac and vascular surgery.
The facilities at Baylor Dallas are equipped with
3-D, volume rendered, computerized tomography;
stat echocardiography; magnetic resonance
imaging (MRI); arteriogram; and ultrasound.
Some aneurysms require emergent care. In other
cases following assessment, a patient can electively
and selectively choose the timing for intervention.
Intervention may require traditional open surgery
or an endovascular stent procedure, but the majority
of patients with aortic disease may be successfully
treated with minimally invasive approaches.
COMPLEX AORTIC CASES
As a tertiary referral center, the complexity of cases
that often present to the Aortic Center’s medical staff
require the experience and expertise that the Center’s
team possesses to achieve successful outcomes with
challenging cases. During the past several years, estimates
indicated that more than 25 percent of aortic procedures
performed by cardiac surgeons and vascular surgeons
on the medical staff at Baylor Dallas were for
life-threatening acute aortic dissections.
Cardiac and Vascular surgeons on the
medical staff at Baylor Dallas are often called
upon for second opinions and/or review of
complex clinical cases involving the aorta.
Advanced treatment options offered through the
Aortic Center
Aortic Center include surgery with neurocerebral and
spinal cord protection protocols, reconstruction of
the aortic root with aortic valve-sparing techniques,
complex arch and hybrid aortic arch reconstruction,
and fenestrated and branched aortic endografts.
AORTIC ANEURYSMS
Aortic aneurysms are
the 13th leading cause
of death in the United
States.* If an aortic
aneurysm ruptures or
dissects, it may cause life-
threatening injuries. In
fact, the overall mortality
rate of an abdominal
aortic aneurysm rupture
is a staggering 75 to 90
percent, making it the
third leading cause of
Normal
Abdominal
death in men over 60.
aorta
aortic aneurysm
With early detection
*Source: Cleveland Clinic
offered through the
Aortic Center, an aneurysm can often be repaired
with surgery or minimally invasive techniques.
In fiscal year 2017, cardiac surgeons and vascular
surgeons on the medical staff at the Aortic
Center treated 201 patients with a variety of
aneurysms. As the Center grows, it continues
to gain national recognition. Again in 2017,
U.S. News & World Report recognized the
hospital’s abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA)
program as “High Performing” based on the
number of patients treated and outcomes achieved.
Vice Chair, Cardiovascular Surgery – Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas
“As a tertiary care center, Baylor Dallas has the infrastructure and physician experience to
accept emergent and elective cases referred to us by physicians across the country. The
Aortic Center combines that experience from cardiac and vascular surgical teams to provide
the quality of care we continue to see reflected in our outcomes.”
J.C. MacHannaford, MD
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