Aortic surgery gives Chris, 73, a new lease of life

A former university lecturer from the North West has credited life-saving heart surgery with giving him a new lease of life after living for years with an undiagnosed, rare, and potentially fatal condition.

Chris, 73,  had been suffering from a persistent cough for several months when doctors discovered the underlying cause: an enlarged aorta compressing his airway. A few years earlier, he had been admitted to hospital with severe chest and back pain, but the diagnosis of an aortic dissection was missed at the time. Incredibly, Chris survived the initial tear in his aorta, but over time, the artery expanded to 9 cm, leading to his troubling symptoms.

Aortic dissection is a life-threatening condition involving a tear in the aorta—the major artery that carries blood away from the heart. The condition often occurs in an aorta that is already enlarged or aneurysmal, typically due to uncontrolled high blood pressure or genetic conditions such as Marfan syndrome.

It frequently presents with sudden and severe chest pain and is fatal in about 30% of cases before patients even reach hospital. Alarmingly, another 30% of cases are misdiagnosed, often mistaken for a heart attack or overlooked in busy emergency departments.

Now retired and based in Kendal, Chris was stunned to learn how serious his condition had become. “I was shocked,” he says. “I’d been out mountain biking not long before. I had no idea something so dangerous was growing inside me.”

Professor Mohamad Nidal Bittar, Consultant Cardiothoracic Surgeon, led the complex surgery to replace the ascending aorta and the arch of Chris’s aorta. He explained that Chris’s experience is unfortunately not uncommon. “We often see patients whose aortic dissections were either diagnosed too late or missed entirely, sometimes with fatal consequences,” he said. “That’s why the ‘Think Aorta’ campaign was launched—to raise awareness and promote faster, more accurate diagnosis.”

At Blackpool Hospital, protocols have been implemented to guide local and regional A&E departments in identifying and managing acute aortic syndrome. A dedicated aortic team is also on call 24/7 to handle such emergencies.

Now fully recovered, Chris has embraced his second chance. “The operation has been transformative,” he says. “ I have further developed my voluntary work with a local sustainability charity I Kendal, working on projects to reduce food waste and combat climate change. Facing something like this makes you realise more than ever how precious time really is.”

Chris also praised the care he received, calling the support from Blackpool Hospital “excellent under the circumstances of Covid at the time”

Aortic dissection remains a medical emergency requiring urgent attention. Experts warn that delayed or missed diagnoses dramatically reduce survival chances. Early awareness of symptoms and risk factors—such as high blood pressure and a family history of heart conditions—is essential.

For Chris, the experience has brought lasting perspective. “It’s me more committed than ever to supporting our community and  appreciating each day”