Sudden Aortic Dissection: Mr. Rekotomo’s Journey Through Bentall Surgery

Mr. Rekotomo is an architect from Bandung who is active and exercises regularly. He had hardly ever been hospitalized; the last time was when he was in primary school. That is why he never imagined his life could change in a single day.

Symptoms That Came Without Warning

That day, after a meeting, Mr. Rekotomo was having lunch when he suddenly felt pain in his chest. There had been no warning signs beforehand. “It turns out this illness gives no warning at all,” he said. He waited about 45 minutes, hoping things would change, before he was finally taken to the emergency room.

In the emergency room, he was given an injection for what was thought to be acid reflux, but the pain did not ease. His ECG was abnormal as well. Emergency tests then revealed an aortic dissection, a tear in the layers of the wall of the aorta, the main blood vessel that carries blood from the heart to the rest of the body. Because this is an emergency, Mr. Rekotomo was immediately transferred by ambulance from Bandung to Jakarta.

Bentall Surgery at Heartology

When he arrived at Heartology, the Heartology cardiothoracic and vascular surgery team quickly prepared for surgery. Mr. Rekotomo underwent a Bentall procedure, an open-heart operation that replaces the aortic valve and repairs the damaged root of the aorta with a valved artificial tube, then reattaches the heart's own arteries to that tube. By then, his condition was already unstable. “Well, we just surrendered to whatever would happen. Go ahead,” he recalled.

For Mr. Rekotomo, it felt as though there was no other choice at that moment, and he trusted that the doctors at Heartology were able to perform the operation.

The Road to Recovery

After surgery, Mr. Rekotomo was cared for in the ICU before moving to a regular room. He feels his long habit of exercising helped his recovery. Even so, an illness that struck without any warning took a psychological toll on him.

One thing now constantly reminds him of that journey: because his valve was replaced, he can clearly hear his heartbeat, even when he is sitting still. To Mr. Rekotomo, the sound feels like a reminder that he has been given another chance at life. He also reflects that if he had listened to his body and rested back then, things might have been safer.

From his experience, Mr. Rekotomo urges you not to ignore your body's warning signs and to have regular check-ups while you are still healthy. “If you ask me, get a check-up now while you're still healthy. It's better to get checked,” he said.