My Dad

  During the last month my Dad was hit by a car. While doing a CAT scan they found an arotic anuerysm of 5.3cm. He was scheduled for surgery when the doctors suspected a heart blockage. Tuesday 3-31 the cath was done and he has 6 blockages, 3 of the main 4 are affected.He cannot have the anurysm repaired unntil the bypass surgery is complete. We don't know where to go or what to do. We live in New Jersey which doesn't seem to have many competent hopspitals in this area. We are considering the Texas Heart Institue because we were told that both procedures could be done simultaneoulsy, not we were toold that is not so. Cleveland is ranked as #1 , what do you suggest?Please answer ASAP , Dad is a ticking time bomb. We want to hurry to make a decision, but don't want to make the wrong one.

[CCF CARDIO MD APS]

Dear JT Gabriel
     Please do not panic and remember this: The likelihood of your father's anuerysm "blowing up" is quite small given that it is just beyond the 5 cm mark according to studies of abdominal aortic aneurysms.  Also JT, the heart has to be fixed first and foremost; I do know of a few excellent heart surgeons in Philadelphia(I am originally from there and have two male relatives who have had bypass surgery), however as a fellow at the Cleveland Clinic I know surgeons here that are excellent at both heart bypass and aortic anuerysm repair.  
The aortic surgery is the more serious surgery in that the potential complications are worse than for heart bypass surgery.  There are many facts of your father's case that I do not know, and so I will leave my statement as is and hope that you understand my reccomendations.  I believe you also need to understand that no person should be subjected to both bypass and aneurysm repair as one operation unless their life is very much in danger because the surgeries alone have low risk of major complications (things like stroke and death) but the surgeries combined has a very high complication rate and would therfore put the patient at much greater risk of stroke, heart attack, and death.
The Cleveland Clinic has a lower than the national average complication rate for bypass surgery, and it has some of the most skilled surgeons in the world who are doing aneurysm repairs frequently, including the very complex cases.  This is only part of the reason that The Cleveland Clinic is ranked #1.  Think about all of these things JT and take a deep breath, you're are doing good for your father to find the best care for him.
Please do not hesitate to ask futher questions.
     Information provided in the Heart Forum is intended for general informational purposes only.  Actual diagnosis and treatment can only be made by your physician(s).