Cardiac surgery treats abdominal aortic aneurysm

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Paul Colgan: It was Saturday and I was just relaxed as can be, and next thing I remember, I was on the floor.

Speaker 2: Paul Colgan knew he had a congenital heart defect that would someday require a valve replacement, but there was more he didn't know.

Paul Colgan: I had an appointment with OSU. He said, "No, you have an aorta aneurysm as well, so we're going to have to do open heart surgery." It was overwhelming. I think I just kind of blanked out for five minutes.

Judy Colgan: When he said those words, we just looked at each other and were stunned and realized that was a little scary. I mean, that was very scary.

John Bozinovski, MD: The reason why we have a nice frank, fulsome discussion about it is so that they understand, "Well, what's the consequence of not having an operation?" And what we're trying to do is prevent somebody from having a catastrophe in the future. The risks of an aortic aneurysm are aortic dissection or aortic rupture. These are acute aortic events and they can put somebody's life or limb at risk.

Paul Colgan: I never doubted I was in good hands with Dr. Bozinovski. He gave a lot of detail. He was very transparent. He put my mind at ease.

Speaker 2: Paul had his open heart surgery on Valentine's Day, 2023.

Paul Colgan: I chose OSU for my heart surgery. I've always had a great experience. I've had surgery once before in my life and it was with OSU, and the care from start to finish was great.

John Bozinovski, MD: We have the Aortic Center where we have different specialties all coming together to offer treatment options to people. We tend to see a lot of patients, and I think that differentiates OSU. When you see this kind of volume, you can't help but do good work when you do it repetitively.

Speaker 2: Paul has returned to his active lifestyle and he and Judy are grateful for the treatment he received at the Richard M. Ross Heart Hospital.

Paul Colgan: I walk quite a bit, and my wife, Judy, and I are definitely into pickleball.

Judy Colgan: I would say if you're thinking about where to have your heart surgery, I can't even imagine another place, definitely in Columbus, if not all of Ohio, where you would get as quality care... I mean, they have the reputation and rightfully so.

John Bozinovski, MD: You and I probably take things for granted that we can do every day, but when that's at jeopardy, your life is markedly altered. So being able to restore that to somebody, it's uplifting, it's rejuvenating. It gives us a reason to come in to work every day.

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Wexnermedical.osu.edu/heart]