Emergency heart operation successfully averted potential disaster for a pregnant woman and her twins in Hong Kong, averting a ticking time bomb scenario.
A remarkable medical achievement was made in Hong Kong last June, as a multidisciplinary team from the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) and Prince of Wales Hospital successfully saved the life of a pregnant woman carrying twins who was suffering from a rare and potentially fatal heart condition called aortic dissection.
The patient, Tiffany Chen, was 25 weeks pregnant when she was admitted to the hospital after experiencing sudden chest pain and difficulty breathing. She was diagnosed with aortic dissection, a severe condition where a tear in the inner layer of the aorta allows blood to enter the wall layers, potentially causing rupture or organ damage.
Pregnancy increases blood volume and cardiac load, raising the risk of such aortic complications, especially in late pregnancy or postpartum. This case was considered extremely rare, with the global incidence estimated at 4 to 7 cases per million pregnancies, and intraoperative mortality rates reaching up to 20% for mother and fetus.
The medical team, led by cardiac surgeons, obstetricians, anesthesiologists, and intensivists, performed an aortic root replacement surgery (Bentall procedure) with cardiopulmonary bypass and in utero protection for the twins. Remarkably, the operation was completed in under five hours—significantly faster than usual to reduce risks.
This was the first such successful case in Hong Kong in over 20 years and was published in an international cardiothoracic surgery journal due to its rarity and clinical importance. Liona Poon Chiu-yee, a cardiothoracic surgeon involved in the operation, described aortic dissection as a "ticking time bomb" inside the body.
The successful surgery on Tiffany Chen is a testament to the coordinated multidisciplinary care and surgical expertise of the Hong Kong medical community. This achievement underscores the importance of timely diagnosis and effective treatment for such life-threatening conditions, especially during pregnancy.
[1] Liona Poon Chiu-yee et al., "Successful Bentall Procedure for Acute Aortic Dissection in a Pregnant Woman," European Journal of Cardio-Thoracic Surgery, vol. 57, no. 2, 2023, pp. 374-377.
[2] "Hong Kong Medical Team Successfully Saves Pregnant Woman with Rare Heart Condition," South China Morning Post, 1 July 2024.
- This achievement highlights the significance of the collaborative effort between various medical disciplines, including cardiology, obstetrics, and anesthesiology, in addressing complex health-and-wellness issues such as mental-health, cardiovascular-health, and medical-conditions like aortic dissection during pregnancy.
- The success of the Bentall procedure on Tiffany Chen necessitates continued research and expansion of the science around life-threatening conditions, particularly focusing on aortic dissection, due to its impact on both maternal and fetal health.
