YOU DON’T HAVE TO EXPLAIN HERE. Living with aortic disease can sometimes feel like speaking a language that very few people understand: -The fear. -The waiting. -The scans. -The surgeries. -The medications. -The “is this normal?” moments. -The recovery that doesn’t always look like recovery. And the life after the crisis that no one really prepared you for. 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝘆 𝗔𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝗛𝗼𝗽𝗲 𝗦𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗽𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁-𝗹𝗲𝗱. Because no one unders

It's #AorticDiseaseAwarenessMonth and #AorticDissectionAwarenessWeek. Today Emmanuel Mbaka, The African Perfusionist teaches us 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗗𝗼 𝗪𝗲 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗗𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗔𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝗦𝘂𝗿𝗴𝗲𝗿𝘆? There is one organ we think about constantly during complex aortic surgery. The brain. Your brain depends on a continuous supply of oxygenated blood. But there is something important about the anatomy: the arteries carrying blood toward the brain arise from th

It's #AorticDiseaseAwarenessMonth and #AorticDissectionAwarenessWeek. Today, Emmanuel Mbaka, The African Perfusionist will explain: 𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗪𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗪𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗼𝗹 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗕𝗼𝗱𝘆 𝗗𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗔𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝗦𝘂𝗿𝗴𝗲𝗿𝘆? Imagine being told before your operation: “During your surgery, we will cool your body.” That statement alone can sound frightening. You might immediately ask: “How cold are you going to make me?” In complex aortic surgery, particularly when we are operating

🏡❤️ THE WORDS YOU’VE BEEN WAITING TO HEAR: “YOU’RE GOING HOME!” After aortic surgery, there are milestones that feel HUGE—the first time sitting up, the first walk down the hallway, getting tubes and lines removed…and then comes one of the best: GOING HOME! 🎉 Walking out of the hospital is absolutely something to celebrate. You’ve been through major surgery, long days, interrupted nights, countless vital checks and probably more hospital food than you ever wanted. 😉 But di

❤️ WHAT HAPPENS AFTER AORTIC SURGERY? You’ve made it through surgery—but what happens next? In his latest The African Perfusionist post, Emmanuel Mbaka walks patients and families through one of the biggest questions surrounding recovery: “What Should I Expect During My First Week in the Hospital? The First Days After Aortic Surgery” From waking up in the ICU and understanding all those tubes and monitors, to getting out of bed, walking the halls, managing pain, breathing exe

🫵 𝗬𝗢𝗨 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗯𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿 𝗶𝗻 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗲𝗹𝘀𝗲’𝘀 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲. ⭐❤️ 𝗙𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝟭𝟬 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀, 𝗔𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝗛𝗼𝗽𝗲 has been sharing the real stories of patients, survivors, and caregivers—because sometimes hearing “I’ve been there” is exactly what someone needs. Whether it’s Aortic Valve Disease, an Aortic Aneurysm, or an Aortic Dissection, 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝘃𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗼𝗻𝗲’𝘀 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲, �

THIS #AorticDiseaseAwarenessMonth & #AorticDissectionAwarenessWeek, IT’S TIME TO SHIFT THE DYNAMIC. Not a power struggle. A power balance. For too many people living with aortic disease, healthcare can feel like this: -We explain what’s wrong. -They tell us what to do. -We nod politely. -We hold back the questions we really want to ask. -We leave—and sometimes end up right back where we started. Sound familiar? When you’re living with aortic disease, that cycle can be frustra