Aortic tear blamed in Sen. Lindsey Graham’s sudden death is a fast-killing emergency
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., speak with reporters following a vote on student loans on Capitol Hill in Washington, May 8, 2012. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)
The aortic tear that likely caused the sudden death of Sen. Lindsey Graham is a medical emergency that can rapidly kill.
The aorta is our largest artery, like a highway that arches up from the heart and then curves back down through the abdomen — carrying oxygen-rich blood to the rest of the body as other arteries branch off from it.