Graham, 71, died after suffering an aortic dissection due to arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease, according to preliminary findings from Washington’s chief medical examiner.
He was transported to George Washington University Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 10:23 p.m. on a Saturday night.
An aortic dissection occurs when the wall of the aorta, the body’s largest artery, develops a tear that allows blood to push through and create a dangerous flap.
That flap can extend deep into the aorta and potentially trigger a heart attack, making rapid medical intervention absolutely critical to survival.
The University of Chicago Medicine Center estimates that the risk of death from an aortic dissection increases by 4% every single hour the condition goes untreated.
Doctors recognize two primary forms of the condition, with Type A being the more common and more dangerous variant because it involves the section of the aorta directly leaving the heart.
Type B dissections occur further down the chest in the descending aorta and can often be managed with medication and careful monitoring over time.
Roughly 20% of Type A patients will die in the hospital, while treated Type B dissections carry an in-hospital mortality rate of around 10%.
Symptoms can easily be mistaken for a heart attack or pulmonary embolism, and include severe chest and upper back pain, stomach pain, loss of consciousness, and shortness of breath.
The condition is rare, affecting an estimated five to 30 people per one million, according to the American Heart Association, but it strikes with little warning.
It is most frequently seen in men in their 60s and 70s, and risk is heightened by high blood pressure, arterial fat or cholesterol buildup, and aortic aneurysms.
Inherited conditions such as Marfan syndrome, Loeys-Dietz syndrome, and vascular Ehlers-Danlos syndrome can also significantly elevate a person’s risk of developing a dissection.
“There are really no warning signs of it unless someone has a history of aortic dissections in the family,” one expert noted when discussing the condition’s unpredictable nature.
As a man in his 70s with diagnosed heart disease, Graham met several established risk factors, and his father F.J. Graham died of a heart attack at age 69.
Dr. Manesh Patel of the American Heart Association stressed the urgency of treatment, saying, “Every hour of delay increases the risk of demise, unfortunately, in these patients.”
Experts say “the only way to survive such a diagnosis is very early identification and strict blood pressure control with emergent operative management.”
Prevention is possible through lifestyle adjustments, and doctors urge patients to ensure blood pressure is well-controlled, cholesterol is low, and regular physician visits are maintained.
Smokers face a sharply elevated risk and are strongly advised to quit, while those with relevant family histories should discuss dedicated screening options with their doctors.
