Useful Links

Membership:

As an aortic dissection survivor, or the relative of one, you are eligible for FREE life membership of our national patient charity, Aortic Dissection Awareness UK & Ireland. Click here to join us. 

Online support:

The patient charity also runs the private Aortic Dissection Buddies UK & Ireland Facebook support group. Bona fide members who have been affected by aortic dissection can join, post, and view others’ posts.

Online information:

The internet has many resources available on aortic dissection. One authoritative source designed specifically for those who have suffered an aortic dissection is the IRAD (International Registry of Aortic Dissection) website.

A number of abbreviations and acronyms are used in aortic medicine. Our sister organisation Aortic Hope in the USA publishes an excellent glossary of aortic conditions.

A number of online and paper resources are available which will give you good guidance on a healthy diet. Always use reliable sources such as NHS websites. British Heart Foundation booklets are also good – these can be found online or in any cardiology department or cardiac rehab class. 

Exercise:

Here you will find Activity Recommendations for Post-Aortic Dissection Patients. See also this IRAD website page.

Online cardiac rehabilitation courses:

You can do cardiac rehab from the comfort of your own home using the online BHF classes here.

You can also do further cardiac rehabilitation classes, sometimes called ‘Phase 4’ classes. There is a list of these here. The nurses from your NHS cardiac rehabilitation class should know if there is one near you. You should only use a Phase 4 class that is BACPR approved.

Mental Health:

Here is a good, free online resource about PTS and PTSD: Critical Illness, Intensive Care and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Also see the following resources for progressive relaxation and relaxed breathing. Both are free resources if you sign-up for a free account. Note: full access to the above tools is usually possible via a CBT therapist.

CBT guidance and workbooks: An excellent guide is Reclaim Your Life by Dr Chris Williams. The Australian CCI organisation and website is also well-respected.

Counselling: There are many professional accreditation and registration bodies in the UK covering different sorts of counselling. The British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies (BABCP) is the lead organisation for CBT in the UK and lists BABCP accredited CBT therapists and psychologists. The EMDR Association has a list of EMDR therapists. Other bodies, including those aimed at a specific country, such as Scotland, are listed in the Counselling Directory. Counsellors accredited by these bodies may work in the NHS and/or in private practice.

Blood Pressure

See the BHF webpage and video on taking your blood pressure. Also here is the AHA/AMA poster with seven tips on how to take an accurate blood pressure reading.

Blood pressure monitors: BHF guidance.

Warfarin

See the NICE guidelines on warfarin management. Also see here for a discussion of home monitoring for patients on Warfarin.

Dental Work

There are NICE guidelines for antibiotic protection when having dental and other work, plus the Scottish Dental CEP Implementation Advice on CG64, which clarifies CG64.

Genetics

Here are the NHS criteria for patients and relatives qualifying for genetic testing.

Here is a paper listing the genes affecting aortic dissection that you can read and share with your GP when discussing genetics.

Pregnancy:

Refer to our booklet Planning Pregnancy with Aortic Disease.