By the standards of most cardiac programs, the thoracic aneurysm inside Constance “Candie” Frank’s aorta wasn’t one that required an intervention. At 4.8 centimeters in size, it was well below the 5.5 centimeter size that the American Heart Association, American College of Cardiology, and Society of Thoracic Surgery would consider the threshold for surgery, according to current guidelines. Meet Candie Frank »
Every school day and during the summer break, Art Flora climbs a 40-foot rope course and rappels off hills in the Rockleigh woods where Bergen County Special Services runs its Therapeutic Adventure Program. Children of all ages with physical, intellectual, emotional, and social disabilities depend on Art to help them conquer indoor and outdoor challenge courses. Consequently, when Art was diagnosed with a thoracic aortic aneurysm, there was no way he was going to let a serious heart condition take him away from his students. Meet Art Flora »
Veterinarian Michael Maida, D.V.M., is skilled at diagnosing medical problems in cats and dogs. But even though the bodies of animals and humans are different, his expertise in veterinary medicine paid off when he suffered a dangerous rupture of a thoracic aortic aneurysm in late July. After collapsing at home with severe chest pains, Dr. Maida, 58, knew that his condition was life-threatening. He told paramedics to 'Hurry or I'm going to die." Meet Michael Maida, D.V.M. »
A Wood-Ridge husband and father is alive today thanks to an impeccable triad of split-second emergency care, expert cardiac surgical skills, and intensive care follow-up at The Valley Hospital. Vincent “Vinny” Porta survived the cardiac catastrophe of a ruptured aortic dissection when Valley cardiac surgeons replaced a four-inch section of his damaged aorta with a Dacron graft. If Mr. Porta had sought emergency care just 15 minutes later or had been taken to a hospital without cardiac surgery, he would have died. Meet Vincent Porta »