Page 11 - Palm City Spotlight - February '24

Palm City Spotlight, Page 11

clEvElAnd clinic mArtin HEAltH nEWs

Surviving Thoracic Aortic Weakened And Torn An aortic dissection occurs when a partial thickness tear
in the inner wall allows the layers to separate and blood to
The elasticity of the aortic
Disease: Don’t Leave It To wall, which is made up of pool between them. This can decrease blood flow to organs,
cause an aneurysm to form, or lead to an abrupt rupture.
three layers, allows it to
Chance stretch as it fills with blood Treating Aortic Disease
from the heart. Aneurysms When and how to treat an aortic aneurysm or dissection
The candy cane-shaped aorta is the largest artery in the body. are formed when the wall will depend on its size and location. “Dissections in the
It has a very important job as the main conduit for oxygen-rich weakens and balloons out. ascending aorta closer to the heart require urgent surgery,
blood traveling from the heart to the rest of the body. If an aneurysm becomes too while tears further from the heart in the descending aorta
About the width of a large garden hose, the aorta starts at large, it can rupture and cause may not,” Savage explains.
the heart, ascends up to form an arch and then descends through life-threatening bleeding. Smaller aneurysms and tears may be monitored for years
the chest into the abdomen. The section above the diaphragm, “The problem with an before requiring surgery. This watchful waiting approach will
called the thoracic aorta, supplies blood to the head, arms and aortic aneurysm is that your include periodic imaging tests, usually every six to 12 months,
organs in the chest cavity. first symptom is often your and strict blood pressure management.
“Thoracic aortic disease is frequently overlooked because it last,” says Dr. Savage, who Edward Savage, M.D. If surgery is deemed necessary, there are two options
develops slowly and silently, and often without symptoms,” says notes they are typically depending on the location of the aneurysm. The diseased portion
Cleveland Clinic Martin Health cardiothoracic surgeon Edward discovered by chance in the course of imaging tests for of the aorta can be replaced with a fabric tube called a graft
Savage, M.D., site director, Heart Vascular Thoracic Center. other conditions. during open surgery. Alternatively, a stent graft, which is a fabric
tube supported by a metal wire scaffold, can be placed inside
the aorta using a minimally invasive, catheter-based approach.
Staying Healthy
About 20 percent of patients with a thoracic aortic aneurysm
or dissection have a family history of aortic disease. Other risk
factors include age, a history of smoking, high blood pressure
and atherosclerosis, as well as certain genetic conditions like
Marfan syndrome.
“In addition to following a heart healthy lifestyle to reduce
your risk, first degree relatives of individuals with aortic
disease, such as children and siblings, should be screened,”
adds Savage.
To make an appointment with a cardiovascular specialist at
Cleveland Clinic in Florida, please call (877) 463-2010 or visit
ClevelandClinicFlorida.org/Heart to learn more.

Treasure Coast

Outdoors

Forward/Side Scanning
Fishing Sonar

By Jim Weix
When trolling for
dolphins I often think of
the words in a song that
says, “The ocean is a
desert but it’s not on the
ground.” Mile after mile
I troll.
It wasn’t until I read a
bass fishing tournament
article about side or
forward scanning being
banned in a tournament that I started wondering about
using it for dolphin fishing. It seems bass anglers have
been using it to locate those bass sitting under lily pads
or other shallow structures.
I’ve never fished on a vessel that I knew had it,
but then discovered it is commonly used. According
to one article, Gene Hill is credited with inventing
omnidirectional fishing sonar 50 years ago. In the
military, he developed defense department equipment
until he started his own company, MAQ Sonar, in
Ontario, Canada, in the early 1970s. At first, his
360-degree multibeam scanning system was considered
practical and cost-effective only for the commercial
fishing market. Then one sport-fisher, Ultimate Lady,
shelled out the $100,000 or so for the cost of equipment
and installation and used the new technology to gain
an advantage in high-stakes billfish tournaments.
Fortunately, costs have dropped dramatically, but
they are still pricey, ranging from $2,000 to $9,500. But
I must admit, my curiosity is killing me. Where is that
cobia at the Sandpile sitting? Where are the dolphins
in that five-mile-long weed line?
So, for those of you who know that BOAT means
Bring On Another Thousand, this might be your chance
to dramatically increase your chances of filling the
fish box.
Editor’s note: Jim Weix is an avid hunter, angler,
conservationist, as well as an outdoor writer. Jim is
included in the Wisconsin Waterfowl Association’s
Hall of Fame for helping restore thousands of acres
of wetlands. Jim is a broker associate with The Keyes
Company. He can be reached at (772) 341-2941 or by
See answer in this paper. email: jimweix@jimweix.com.