Medical miracle

Viennese doctors save man after aortic rupture

The rescued patient thanks Dr. Wolf and surgeon Dr. Christopher Burghuber from the bottom of his heart. The entire AKH "angio team" was involved in the "medical miracle".(Bild: Imre Antal)

He was - after an aortic rupture - doomed to die! But at the very last minute, top AKH doctors were able to save their patient from bleeding to death with a special procedure.  

With a suddenly burst abdominal aorta, 61-year-old György Forberger struggled with death in Wiener Neustadt Hospital (Lower Austria). The doctors there reacted in the right way - they immediately sent the X-ray images to their colleagues at Vienna General Hospital (AKH). But even the top doctors initially saw little hope.

Doctors fought for hours to save the patient's life
"When I had the flash findings in front of me, it was very unlikely that this patient would make it to me alive on the operating table," says Dr. Florian Wolf, one of Austria's best interventional radiologists. Nevertheless, the team led by Wolf and vascular surgeon Dr. Christopher Burghuber pulled off a minor medical miracle.

Complications during emergency surgery
After the patient was flown to the AKH by ÖAMTC helicopter, the doctors fought for hours to save the life of the skilled car mechanic. "There were unexpected complications. But I was able to seal the aorta with a special prosthesis during this emergency operation."

Which makes the lifesaver in the white coat happy: "The patient, who was almost absolutely doomed to die, is now doing very well again and can enjoy his life normally again without any major restrictions ..."