The first patient to receive a dynamic aortic patch was Mr. T., a 63-year-old plant guard from metropolitan Detroit, Michigan (1,2). Mr. T. had severe chronic congestive heart failure and was bedridden with weakness, marked dyspnea, and leg edema. His symptoms were first noted five years earlier, when he complained of difficulty in breathing and a productive, frothy cough. Treatment at that time had consisted of digitalis and diuretics. His condition had deteriorated during the last several years, and