❤️ WHAT HAPPENS AFTER AORTIC SURGERY? You’ve made it through surgery—but what happens next? In his latest The African Perfusionist post, Emmanuel Mbaka walks patients and families through one of the biggest questions surrounding recovery: “What Should I Expect During My First Week in the Hospital? The First Days After Aortic Surgery” From waking up in the ICU and understanding all those tubes and monitors, to getting out of bed, walking the halls, managing pain, breathing exe

🫀❤️ iT'S #AorticValveDiseaseAwarenessWeek and YOUR AORTIC VALVE MAY BE SMALL… BUT IT HAS A BIG JOB! Your aortic valve controls blood flow from your heart into your aorta and out to your body. When it becomes too narrow (aortic stenosis) or doesn’t close properly (aortic regurgitation), your heart may have to work harder. Some people are also born with a bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) instead of the typical three-leaflet valve—and BAV can also be associated with disease of the a

🫀📚 **WAIT… WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?!** 😳 Aortic disease comes with a LOT more than a diagnosis. It comes with words. **Aneurysm. Dissection. TAA. AAA. CTA. MRA. TEE. Intramural hematoma. Aortic root. False lumen. Graft. Hypothermic circulatory arrest…** 🤯 And sometimes it feels like your doctor is speaking an entirely different language. You’re sitting there trying to process the diagnosis, the scans, the treatment plan, the medications, the next appointment… while your brain