[Sportschosun Reporter Jang Jong-ho] Ewha Womans University Aortic and Vascular Hospital successfully performed surgery on a very elderly patient nearing 100, who had suffered a ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm, setting a new record for the oldest patient treated at the hospital.
Mr. Lee, who lives in Yecheon County, North Gyeongsang Province, visited a hospital in Andong-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do, on May 18 after experiencing abdominal pain. Tests confirmed that he had a ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm, a life-threatening emergency.
A ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm occurs when a weakened aortic wall bulges like a pouch and then bursts. It causes massive bleeding, and the death rate can reach 80 to 90 percent without immediate surgery. In Mr. Lee's case, the risk was even higher because he was a very elderly patient, listed as being born in November 1929 and actually 98 years old. He required extremely careful management to maintain blood pressure and protect his organs.
At the time, the medical team at the hospital judged that the patient's advanced age and the urgency of the condition required an emergency transfer to Ewha Womans University Aortic and Vascular Hospital, which can provide aortic treatment 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Soon after the transfer was decided, the patient was quickly transported by helicopter to the hospital at around 1 a.m. on the 19th.
While the patient was being flown in by helicopter, Ewha Womans University Aortic and Vascular Hospital immediately activated its EXPRESS (Ewha Xtraordinary Precision Safe Aortic Surgery) System. Before the patient arrived, the specialized medical team completed preparations in the operating room, coordinated with anesthesiology, and set up the artificial graft and surgical equipment. As soon as the patient arrived, he was taken straight to the operating room without a single second of delay.
The abdominal aortic aneurysm graft replacement surgery, led by Professor Suk-Won Song, was a precise procedure that quickly blocked the ruptured section of the aorta and replaced it with a durable artificial graft. Thanks to the seamless cooperation of the dedicated aortic team, including cardiovascular surgeons, anesthesiologists, and operating room nurses, the surgery ended successfully.
After the operation, Mr. Lee received systematic intensive recovery care in the aortic intensive care unit and the aortic ward. Despite being 98, he showed a remarkably fast recovery. He was discharged in good condition on May 27, just one week after surgery, and returned for his first outpatient follow-up on the 8th, confirming that he had fully recovered.
Director Suk-Won Song of Ewha Womans University Aortic and Vascular Hospital said, "This successful surgery on our oldest patient is a meaningful case that once again proves our hospital's rapid response capability and its unmatched clinical expertise in safely caring for even very elderly patients, while handling about 30 percent of all aortic surgeries in Korea." He added, "As a doctor, my heart still races when a patient regains their health."
Jang Jong-ho, bellho@sportschosun.com
