About us
Preventing death from a neglected yet common disease.
What we do
Diseases of the aorta cause 5,000 deaths per year in the UK. That compares with 11,000 deaths from prostate cancer and a similar number of deaths from breast cancer. Aortic diseases are rarer than these common cancers but whereas everyone has heard about prostate and breast cancer, many people are blissfully unaware of the existence of their aorta. Elective (planned) surgery for aortic aneurysms carries a low risk with a very high success rate. By the time an aorta ruptures, the risk of death rises to greater than 50%. ACT wants to change that:
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We want people who are at risk to be aware of the risk
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We want those who have aortic problems to get the treatment that they need before it becomes an emergency
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We want to help with research into better treatment and prevention
Treated early enough, pretty much every one of those 5,000 deaths is preventable.
Who we are
ACT was founded by a group of four Trustees comprising two aortic surgeons and two committed volunteers. The volunteers have given generously of their own time, providing professional legal expertise, a network of contacts and substantial donations that have been instrumental in enabling ACT to become a reality.
Meet the team
N
Nick Cheshire
Founding Trustee and aorto-vascular surgeon
Professor Nick Cheshire, Professor of Vascular Surgery at Imperial College is one of the world's most distinguished and well-known aorto-vascular surgeons. A pioneer in endovascular aortic aneurysm surgery, Nick is widely published and a highly sought-after speaker at international meetings. Nick is committed to research, innovation and training in surgery; he has led the development of the Royal Brompton & Harefield's aortovascular unit which is now the biggest unit of its kind in the UK and is a founding Trustee of the Aortic Centre Trust, dedicated to the establishment of centres of excellence in aortic surgery across the UK.
J
Jullien Gaer
Founding Trustee and cardiac surgeon
Dr Gaer is an internationally renowned cardiac surgeon with a specialist interest in surgery of the aorta who practises at the Royal Brompton & Harefield Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in the UK. Mr Gaer graduated from the University of London in 1983 and completed his post-graduate training at some of Europe's leading centres of cardiac surgery (Royal Brompton Hospital & Harefield Hospitals, Royal Postgraduate Medical School, & Broussais Hospital in Paris). Mr Gaer is one of the founders of the Aortic Centre Trust; he is committed to the development of aortic services in the UK and has trained a great many young cardiac surgeons. Mr Gaer has published extensively and is a sought-after speaker at international meetings.
R
Richard Grosse
Founding Trustee and driving force behind ACT
Richard is one of the founding Trustees of Aortic Centre Trust. He graduated in law from Jesus College, Cambridge and qualified as a solicitor in 1977. He established his own firm, Richard Grosse & Co, as commercial real estate specialists in 1984 and merged that firm with the leading City law firm, Taylor Joynson Garrett, now Taylor Wessing, in 2000. He has been the principal real estate advisor to many quoted property companies throughout his career. Richard supports a number of charities and has been instrumental in the establishment of ACT.
What is an aortic centre?
An aortic centre is first and foremost a team dedicated to the state-of-the-art of the multi-disciplinary management of aortic disease. Currently, in most places in the world, patients with aortic disease only come to the attention of an aortic specialist when their aortic problem has reached the point of needing surgery or, worse, when the feared complications of rupture or dissection have already occurred. As with most diseases, prevention is better than cure and if prevention isn't possible, early detection and prompt treatment is more likely to lead to the right outcome. Historically, the aorta was referred to as the orphan or forgotten organ because it 'fell between' the territory of cardiac and vascular surgeons. An aortic centre is a multi-disciplinary team of doctors and associated healthcare professionals comprising surgeons, cardiologists, radiologists and geneticists with a specialist interest in the prevention, detection and management of aortic diseases. An aortic centre is one in which all of the contemporary treatments for aortic disease are available under one roof. For any given patient, the aortic centre will take care of their aortic disease at every stage. Thus, the role of the aortic centre is:
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to permit early detection through screening of at-risk groups
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surveillance using the most sophisticated contemporary radiological techniques
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advice on techniques to slow or prevent the progression of aortic disease through lifestyle choices and medication
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advising patients on when, and when not, to undergo some sort of intervention or operation
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performing those interventions or operations using the most sophisticated, contemporary open (conventional) and endovascular ('keyhole') surgery to treat or prevent rupture
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these interventions are frequently hybrid (a combination) of open and endovascular techniques using bespoke stents and other prostheses specifically manufactured for individual patients
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long-term follow-up to monitor the development of aneurysms in other parts of the aorta
Our goal
Our goal is to ensure that aortic diseases receive the same attention in terms of scientific research, healthcare funding and public awareness as other leading causes of death in the UK. The incidence is thought to be rising and many patients simply do not survive to reach hospital. We believe that the most effective way of managing aortic diseases is through the development of specialist aortic centres with cardiac surgeons, vascular surgeons, cardiologists and radiologists working across 'specialties' to prevent these deaths.
Our vision
Our goal is to make the aorta the unforgettable organ. Aortic diseases can turn a previously normal healthy family life on its head, cruelly transforming a life of blissful happiness into tragedy, and yet much can be done to detect those who are at risk and intervene before tragedy strikes. We believe that modern management of aortic disease requires an appropriate team - a multi-disciplinary team of surgeons, anaesthetists, nurses, imagers, geneticists - and that these people need to be closely located and to work regularly together for patient benefit.
In addition, modern aortic care requires the ability to use new technology to minimise the surgical insult. For example stent grafts can repair an aortic aneurysm through one or two small incisions in the groin. This means a much quicker return to home and to normal activities. But new technology means harnessing the new ways of X-raying during surgery - in a combined operating theatre.
Useful links
For patients
What is an aortic aneurysm?
British Heart Foundation information for patients on aortic aneurysms
​Treatment of abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA)
Abdominal aortic aneurysms
NHS
For professionals
European Society of Cardiology Guidelines on the Diagnosis & Treatment of Aortic Diseases
Link
American Heart Association Statement on the Treatment of Descending Thoracic Aortic Disease