Pregnant Mom Survives Heart Disorder

Jan. 19, 2004 -- It was late in her pregnancy when Lisa Dohleman started suffering severe chest pains, which she initially thought had something to do with the baby.

Instead, she was 33 weeks pregnant and suffering from acute aortic dissection, the same rare and sudden heart ailment that killed actor John Ritter, who was just 54 when he died in September. But unlike Ritter, the 26-year-old Indiana woman surmounted incredible odds of 20,000 to 1, surviving open heart surgery and an emergency Caesarean section to deliver her baby.

Dohleman had just gotten out of the shower on Dec. 16 when she felt a "pop" in her throat and then a burning pain. She knew that it was something serious, but wasn't sure what it was.

Dohleman and her husband, Thomas, rushed first to Indianapolis' Community Hospital East, then to Community Hospital North, where doctors diagnosed the problem.

"By a CAT scan, we were able to see her aorta had already started to dissect. The worry was it could rupture at any moment," said cardiothoracic surgeon Dr. David Evans on ABCNEWS' Good Morning America.

Two Emergency Procedures

Aortic dissection occurs when the wall of the aorta pulls apart, causing blood to flow through the wall itself. That flow weakened the wall, and caused a tear.

After the Dohlman's diagnosis, she was taken to nearby Indiana Heart Hospital, where doctors knew that they had two tough procedures on their hands. First, Dr. David Kiley performed an emergency C-section, delivering Alexis Rose Dohleman. The baby girl was seven weeks premature, but otherwise healthy.

Kiley worked quickly, estimating that it took five to 10 minutes to cut the baby from the mother's uterus. There was no time to close the abdomen before the open-heart surgery, performed by Evans, who led a team of 15 doctors and nurses through the 3½-hour procedure.

The fatality rate for aortic dissection is 80 percent to 90 percent, but Dohleman made it through.

Kiley was later so moved by the successful surgery and delivery that he couldn't help his voice from breaking up at a news conference.

"I'm glad to be part of it. I'm glad we're here. I'm glad it was successful. And I want to thank everybody," he said.

Later Kiley told GMA that the successful procedure was the highlight of his career.

"This has been probably the most enjoyable moment of my career … it's made my entire career worth everything I ever did to get to this point," he said.

Three days after the surgery, Dohleman was able to go home, though the baby had to spend some extra time in neonatal care. Alexis, who weighed just 4 pounds 14 ounces at birth, is doing well and is not expected to have long-term complications from her early birth.

The typical acute aortic dissection patient is a man between the ages of 40 and 70, Evans said. A third of all patents who actually make it to the hospital die while there, according to Evans.

Acute Aortic Dissection

An aortic dissection occurs when blood enters a lengthwise tear between layers of an artery wall in the heart. This causes the layers to separate and swell, resulting in severe pain. If the artery bursts, the condition can be fatal as a result of internal bleeding.

Aortic dissection occurs in approximately 2 out of every 10,000 people. It can affect anyone but is most often seen in men aged 40 to 70. The vast majority of patients die before even making it to an emergency room.

Symptoms of the ailment:

Extreme chest, abdominal, back pain Sudden extreme pain that moves toward the back between the shoulder blades and may affect hips and legs Shortness of breath Nausea and vomiting Fainting Difficulty swallowing

Source: The Indiana Heart Hospital