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To follow-up on the weird tightening chest pain, he visited his primary care doctor who ordered an imaging test just in case.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy doctor called and told me I needed to stop working and lifting anything heavy right away and seek follow-up cardiac surgery care,\u201d he says. \u201cMy scan showed at the top of my heart I had a dilated ascending aorta.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wiseman\u2019s enlarged, bulging aorta put him at high risk for an aortic rupture or tear at any moment.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was kind of shocked by this news,\u201d recalls Wiseman whose grandfather died of the same condition. He was later told by his doctors that it is a genetic condition that he inherited from his family.<\/p>\n
In 2017, Wiseman had successful open heart surgery at UConn John Dempsey Hospital to repair his aorta before it burst. The dilated portion of his aorta was removed and replaced with a synthetic graft.<\/p>\n
At UConn Health, Wiseman received a tailored anesthetic approach prior to and during his surgery which allowed for rapid removal of his breathing tube and recovery post-surgery, all while closely managing his postoperative pain. In addition, the surgical team was able to avoid the need for any blood transfusions during surgery. While Wiseman was on the heart-lung machine during the operation, advanced neurologic protection techniques were used to significantly limit any risk of neurologic complications.<\/p>\n
According to David Rosinski, director of cardiovascular perfusion at UConn Health, the comfortable and speedy recovery seen with Wiseman was due to the state-of-the-art facilities and advanced cardiac care that UConn Health can offer.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was an amazing experience,\u201d reports Wiseman who had surgery on a Friday morning and was home by Monday. \u201cIt worked out very well. I was always very comfortable after surgery and UConn Health\u2019s care was very attentive.\u201d<\/p>\n With barely any symptoms prior to surgery, Wiseman\u2019s message to others is to get a checkup.<\/p>\n \u201cGet your body checked-out, especially if you have a family history of a heart or an aortic issue like my family did,\u201d says Wiseman. \u201cMy story shows it pays off to get checked out by your doctor.\u201d<\/p>\n Wiseman is happy to report since cardiac surgery at UConn Health he is back to full-fledged life and action.<\/p>\n \u201cLife is all good,\u201d says Wiseman, also a husband and father of three. \u201cI have no restrictions at all.\u201d<\/p>\n Each year UConn Health\u2019s experienced cardiothoracic surgery team performs nearly 100 heart surgeries at the state-of-the-art UConn John Dempsey Hospital caring for patients in need of coronary artery bypass surgery, aortic valve replacement, and mitral valve repair.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Jeremy-Wiseman-FB_IMG_1605795371770-225x300.jpg\")