Physicians at Northeast Baptist Hospital are among the first in the San Antonio to offer a minimally invasive treatment for a dangerous bulge in the body’s main artery. The device was  recently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The Medtronic Endurant® AAA Stent Graft System repairs an abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) without open surgery. Left untreated, AAAs can burst unexpectedly, often with fatal consequences, making this “silent killer” the third leading cause of sudden death in men over age 60.

William O. Kirk M.D. and his surgical team recently conducted their first endovascular aortic repair (EVAR) with the new device. The procedure is performed by making a small incision near the groin and inserting a stent graft (a specially woven fabric tube sewn onto a flexible wire frame) compressed on a delivery catheter, then threaded up through the patient’s blood vessels. At the site of the AAA, the stent graft is expanded within the aorta, creating a new path for blood flow that reduces pressure on the bulge and the risk of rupture.

Open surgery to correct AAA is more invasive, requiring a minimum hospital stay of five days and several months for complete recovery. By contrast, the hospital stay and recovery time following repair using the new device is typically much shorter.

What Is AAA?
The aorta is the large artery that carries blood from the heart to the rest of the body. With AAA, part of the aorta weakens and expands. If an aneurysm gets large enough, it may burst. This can be very serious, even fatal.

How Is an Aneurysm Detected?
AAA usually causes no symptoms. It is often found when tests (such as an x-ray, MRI, or CT scan) are done for an unrelated problem. Or your doctor may find it while feeling your stomach during a routine exam.

Who Develops AAA?
These things increase your chances of having AAA:

• AAA runs in your family
• Your age—AAA is more likely as you get older
• Smoking, having high blood pressure, or a high cholesterol level (a buildup of fat and other materials in the blood)

For more information on the minimally-invasive approach to correcting AAA offered at Northeast Baptist Hospital, call 297-7005.