About Us

BIDMC’s Aortic Center offers access to some of the latest technologies and procedures to treat all stages of aortic disease, whether you’ve just been diagnosed or experience an emergency.


Emergency Care at the Ready
When seconds count, our surgical team is prepared to quickly diagnose and treat aortic ruptures, dissections or transections.

Clinical Trials Access
The Aortic Center’s clinical trials program is one of the most active in the field, providing access to new treatments, devices and procedures.

Influential Research
Work by our faculty is routinely published in high impact journals including The Journal of the American Medical Association, Circulation and The New England Journal of Medicine.

Aortic Conditions We Treat

Aortic Aneurysms

An aortic aneurysm is a bulge caused by weakness or degeneration in the wall of the aorta, the body’s primary and largest artery. Left untreated, an aortic aneurysm can continue to grow until it ruptures, a potentially life-threatening situation that can develop without warning.

Aortic aneurysms can appear anywhere along the aorta, which runs from your heart, through your chest and into your abdomen. Types of aortic aneurysms include:

More about Aortic Aneurysm


Additional Aortic Conditions We Treat
    Dr. Schermerhorn performs aortic surgery.
  • Acute and chronic Type A and B aortic dissections in which blood flows between layers in the wall of the aorta due to tearing
  • Aortic transections, punctures in the aorta due to trauma, such as a car accident
  • Aortic arch disease related to structural issues in the top of the aorta
  • Aortic root disease related to structural issues where the aorta attaches to the heart