Spotlight
(continued from page 3)
• About five percent of those with
the disease DO experience symptoms,
so don’t downplay pain in the chest or
upper back, or shortness of breath—
listen to your body!
Dr E. worries especially about
the tendency of both the general population and physicians to assume that
those with aortic aneurysms are typically tall and lanky—like those with
the well known disorder called Marfan
disease (think of Abraham Lincoln’s
physique—many experts believe he
had the condition).
Only five percent of individuals
with thoracic aneurysms have Marfan
disease, according to Dr. E. Amy
and Jill (see cover aticle) are perfect
examples of why it’s so important
to debunk the stereotype that all
aneurysm patients are tall and thin
like basketball players. At 5´3˝ and
4´10˝, respectively, Amy and Jill
couldn’t look any less like individuals
with Marfan disease.
Fortunately, they both experienced
symptoms, a red flag that persuaded
Dr. E. to investigate further. “Symptoms
always trump size in aneurysm
disease,” he says.
“We’re on a mission to educate the
public—and also physicians—about
aneurysm disease.”
To learn more about the Aortic
Institute—or to make a gift—please
call Emily Corvino, 203-688-5688. ♥
You can help the physicians and
scientists at YNHH save lives
by directing a donation to the
Aortic Institute.
By the Numbers
YNHH provides world-class, comprehensive cardiac and vascular
care to patients of all ages throughout New England.
7,103
patients received
inpatient treatment at
the YNHH Heart and
Vascular Center (HVC)
97,405
1,234
patients treated on
an outpatient basis
cardiac surgeries
performed
11
N EWS LETTE R FOR OU R DONORS,
VOLU NTE E RS, AN D FR I E N DS
For your
heart’s sake
Next month, February,
is American Heart
Month—so this issue of
Spotlight is dedicated to
the tens of thousands
of patients treated for
heart disorders each
year at YNHH—and the
cardiac physicians who
save lives here every
single day.
sites throughout
the state provide
cardiac and vascular
outpatient treatment
Valentine’s Day
can be lonely when you’re
a child in the hospital!
You will warm a
child’s heart when
Data from FY 2015
Your dollars keep us going
Your generous donations help fund lifesaving procedures,
cutting-edge technology, and the comforting, compassionate
care that YNHH is known for. Thank you for your steady
support—our patients depend on you. ♥
4
YALE-NEW HAVEN HOSPITAL
Office of Development
Give now: it’s safe, it’s fast,
it’s tax-deductible, and it’s easy.
www.givetoynhh.org/donate
PO Box 1849
New Haven, CT 06508
www.givetoynhh.org
you sign and send us the
enclosed Valentine. We
will display it—along with
all the other Valentines
from generous friends like
you—in the playroom of
our Children’s Hospital.
WINTER 2016
Two sisters, two lives saved…
because of you
If it hadn’t been for Amy, Dr. Elefteriades (see article inside) never
would have investigated Jill’s condition. If it hadn’t been for Jill, Amy
never would have found Dr. E. And if it hadn’t been for Dr. E. … this
story might have had a very different ending.
Amy, age 44, and her younger sister Jill,
41, have a lot in common. They love to
exercise and stay fit. They lead active
lives and have healthy lifestyles—no bad
habits, good diet. They are both married,
each with two kids. And as for their size,
they are both smaller than average.
But their shared experiences go
way beyond what most sisters have in
common. Both Amy and Jill suffered
from thoracic aortic aneurysms, a
potentially fatal swelling of the aorta
(again, see article inside for more
information). And both were completely
unaware that they might be on the verge
of a major health crisis.
But when Dr. E. examined them, he
had a very different opinion.
When it comes to aneurysm
disease, one size does not fit all
An incredible set of coincidences began
in the fall of 2013. Amy woke up one
morning with a peculiar feeling, “as
though I had a five-pound weight on
my chest.” She also felt short of breath
and her pulse was racing. With a history
of a heart murmur, Amy didn’t take any
chances. She went to her general practitioner for an exam. Fortunately, there
was no indication of a heart attack.
Still, Amy’s doctor sent her to a cardiologist, and then to a cardiac surgeon—
just to be on the safe side. After a battery
of tests, Amy learned that she had a
thoracic aortic aneurysm—but that it
was still too small to be of concern. Historically, the standard medical practice
was to watch and wait until an aneurysm
reached a diameter of 5 to 5.5 centimeters
before considering surgery.
Amy’s was only 4.8 cm. Besides, at
barely 5´2˝ tall, she looked nothing like
the typical aneurysm sufferer—tall and
lanky. The doctors told her not to worry.
For some reason, Amy didn’t feel
reassured. “I don’t know why,” she
remembers, “but I didn’t feel like that
was the end of the story.”
continued inside
Spotlight | WINTER 2016
1
(continued from page 1)
Her sister Jill wasn’t convinced, either. “It simply made
no sense to me that my sister
would need the same measurement as, for instance, a 6'6"
basketball player,” she says. She
began to research whether body
size mattered when assessing
aneurysm risk.
Jill’s “googling” led her to
Dr. E. and his groundbreaking
publications on the importance
of considering body size in
diagnosing aneurysm risk.
These articles confirmed, as Jill
suspected, that for aortic aneurysms, one size does not fit all.
mutations, so at Amy’s followup exam, Dr. E. asked her
whether she had any siblings.
“That all led to our seeing
Jill,” he recalls. “And we found
that Jill’s imaging was a carbon
copy of Amy’s”—despite the fact
that at only 4´10˝ tall, she’s even
shorter than Amy.
Dr. E. performed the same
procedure on Jill that Amy had.
Since Jill is three years younger
than Amy, her condition hadn’t
It’s no coincidence that sisters Amy (l) and Jill (r)
progressed quite as far. But
faced identical heart conditions that could easily
without Dr. E.’s intervention,
have resulted in the worst. Today, they are in perfect
she would have been headed for
health—and their hearts are sturdier than ever.
the same dangerous outcome
the size of her aorta, relative to her
that threatened Amy.
All roads lead to Dr. E.
body size, was significant. “Amy’s
Amy recently celebrated the
Jill also contacted the John Ritter
aneurysm was 4.8 cm,” he says.
first anniversary of her surgery, and
Foundation for Aortic Health, looking “That’s very sizable for someone who
Jill just celebrated her six-month
for more information, and was told
is that small.” He asked her to make
anniversary. They are both healthy,
that one of the world’s leading
an appointment for an exam.
energetic, and as active as ever.
experts on thoracic aortic aneurysm—
Dr. E. took more tests, and deterSo now Amy and Jill have one
the very same Dr. Elefteriades—was
mined that surgery was necessary—
more thing in common: they both
just an hour away, at YNHH. Everyand soon. In September 2014, he perhave mechanical valves in their hearts
thing seemed to be pointing toward a
formed a lengthy surgical procedure,
that will never wear out. “I tell my
consultation with Dr. E.
in which a section of her aorta was
children ‘I’m fixed for life—you don’t
Jill told Amy about him, and sugreplaced with a Dacron cloth graft
ever need to worry again!’” says Jill. ♥
gested that she make an appointment.
containing a mechanical valve.
The next coincidence clinched
Usually this type of surgery takes
Your generous support helps
it for Amy. She was idly flipping
about four and a half hours. Amy’s
fund the research and clinical
through the local newspaper one day,
took seven. “It was probably the worst
care that make near-miraculous
when she saw an announcement for a
aorta I have ever seen—and I’ve operstories happen. THANK YOU.
book signing in New Haven—by none
ated on many thousands of patients,”
other than John Elefteriades, MD.
says Dr. E. “Amy was in a very serious
She and her husband headed
state. Her aortic wall was exceptionally
down to the book signing, and after
thin and very close to rupture.”
his presentation, they introduced
Fortunately, the surgery was a
themselves. Amy told him about
complete success.
• Heart disease strikes someher condition, and her continued
one in the US about once
uneasiness about it.
One more big coincidence
every 43 seconds.
One of Dr. E.’s most important
• Heart disease is the No. 1
From “no treatment necessary” research findings is that thoracic
cause of death in the US,
to major heart surgery
aortic aneurysms can run in families.
killing over 375,000 people
Two features of Amy’s story concerned
In fact, some of his work has focused
each year.
Dr. E.: first, that she had previously
on identifying, and testing for, the
• Heart disease is the No. 1
had symptoms of discomfort. Most
genetic mutations associated with
killer of women, taking more
people with aneurysms don’t experithe disease.
lives than all forms of
ence symptoms—but when they do,
It turned out that Amy’s tests
cancer combined.
it’s a serious warning sign. And second,
showed that she carried some of these
• KNOW YOUR NUMBERS. Be aware
of your blood pressure, lipid panel
and fasting glucose. Be proactive in
your care.
Heart Health Tips for
Women (and Men!):
We asked Lisa A. Freed, MD, director
of Yale New Haven Hospital’s Women’s
Heart and Vascular Program, to share
her favorite tips to help women keep
their hearts healthy. She gave us the
following advice—which we think
applies to men as well. (After all, real
men do yoga and eat chocolate!)
YALE-NEW HAVEN HOSPITAL
Office of Development
PO Box 1849
New Haven, CT 06508
www.givetoynhh.org
• GET A GOOD NIGHT’S SLEEP —
6 to 8 hours a night. Sleep deprivation
results in slower metabolism, more
difficulty in losing weight, higher
stress hormones, and more depression
and anxiety.
• TAKE CARE OF YOUR BODY.
Exercise moderately for about 150
minutes per week. Add resistance
training to your workout to improve
your cardiovascular health.
• GO FOR THE
HEALTHY CARBS —
fruits and vegetables, legumes, and
whole grains.
Your gifts help make it possible:
Dr. E. and his mission to prevent fatal heart disease
Did you know?
2
• TRY YOGA to reduce the effects of
stress. Studies have shown that yoga
helps to reduce heart rate and blood
pressure, as well as helping to relieve
depression and anxiety.
• TREAT YOURSELF to a square of
dark chocolate, which studies show
may improve cardiovascular health.
“Many families are affected by
aortic aneurysm,” warns John
Elefteriades, MD, cardiothoracic
surgeon and director, Aortic
Institute, Yale-New Haven Hospital.
“If you think back through your family
to anyone who’s died suddenly of an
apparent heart attack, it may actually
have been the result of an aneurysm,”
says Dr. Elefteriades. “Many, many
cases are deaths from an aneurysm,
rather than a heart attack.”
Aortic aneurysms are frequently
referred to as “silent killers,” because
patients often don’t have any symptoms until the aneurysm ruptures—
and by then it may be too late.
An aortic aneurysm is a swelling
of the aorta, the main blood vessel
of the body. Aortic aneurysm disease
is responsible for more than 15,000
deaths each year. It is the 14th most
common killer after age 65.
“Dr. E.,” as his patients invariably
refer to him, heads up the Aortic
Institute at Yale-New Haven Hospital,
one of the largest centers in the world
for clinical care of patients with aneurysms and research in aortic diseases.
Dr. E. and his team have made a
number of groundbreaking discoveries
about this “silent killer”: how to safely
determine when and if surgery is
required, the tendency of aneurysms to
run in families, and the correlation
between rupture of aortic aneurysm
and heavy-weight lifting, for example.
Scientists at the Institute are also
refining new genetic screening tests
for high-risk individuals, which will
help save the lives of thousands of
aneurysm sufferers who don’t experience any telltale symptoms.
But sometimes there are warning
signs, and Dr. E. urges physicians and
the public to be aware of risk factors
and possible symptoms:
• Family history: Having a
relative with aortic aneurysm increases your risk of the disease to about
20%—so if you know or suspect that
someone in your family suffered from
the disease, tell your doctor.
continued on back
Spotlight | WINTER 2016
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