Also known as: Broken spine
Patient underwent spinal surgery at an outpatient center that went catastrophically wrong when she lost her airway mid-operation. The surgeons discovered spinopelvic disassociation requiring complex spinal repair and fixation at Chastain.
Also known as: Puff of smoke disease
A college student princess presents with syncope, headaches, loss of sensation in feet, and word-finding difficulty. Diagnosed with Moyamoya disease requiring emergency cerebral bypass surgery that becomes complicated by brain swelling, necessitating omental transposition.
Also known as: Enlarged heart muscle disease
A pregnant patient in her third trimester is diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy, likely from prior chemotherapy for breast cancer. She faces a difficult choice between inducing early delivery to protect her heart or carrying to term to protect the baby.
Also known as: A-fib
During recovery from spinal surgery, patient develops atrial fibrillation. What she thought were panic attacks are revealed to be episodes of A-fib, requiring rate control rather than cardioversion to avoid stroke risk from potential clots.