Sound as a Medium for Exploring Survivorship After Acute Type A Aortic Dissection: An Exploratory Participatory Co-Creation Study

Survival after acute aortic dissection has improved, shifting attention to long-term recovery and quality of life, yet little is known about how survivors experience their bodies and everyday sensory environment afterwards. We conducted an exploratory, hypothesis-generating qualitative study within a participatory co-creation project, in which nine survivors of acute Type A aortic dissection recruited through a national patient organisation took part in a workshop using sound as a creative entry point for discussing life after dissection. Through individual reflection, thematic clustering, and facilitated group dialogue, participants described everyday experiences of alertness, heightened bodily awareness, reassurance, and mutual recognition. Written reflections, workshop outputs, and facilitator field notes were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Participants used sound as a medium to articulate an ongoing attentiveness to bodily and environmental cues and valued recognising these experiences in others. Rather than demonstrating altered auditory perception, which was not assessed, the findings suggest that sound can make otherwise hard-to-express dimensions of survivorship visible and shareable, informing future targeted research and person-centred follow-up.