| Individuals with
an abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) - a potentially
lethal condition that is the 13th leading cause
of death in the United States - now have a minimally
invasive treatment option at Southeast Missouri
Hospital..
Since October 2000, the Regional Heart Center
and the Cape Girardeau's Cardiac and Vascular
Surgeons have offered endovascular AAA repair.
Southeast is the first Hospital approved to offer the new FDA-approved
technique to the region.
In October, 1984, the first open heart surgery
in the region was performed at Southeast, said
Administrator James W. Wente. Today, nearly 6,500 surgeries later, the Regional Heart Center
continues to be nationally recognized for heart
and vascular care.
What is an aneurysm, and who is likely to develop AAA? Said Wente, " Throughout
its history, the Regional Heart Center surgical
team has led the way in bringing new developments
in cardiac and vascular care to the region. Endovascular
triple-A repair is one of those significant advances."
FDA-approved endovascular AAA repair has been
available in the United States less than two years.
It allows a surgeon to repair an aneurysm from
inside the artery, avoiding a major abdominal
incision. Treatment involves inserting a graft
to take the place of the abdominal aorta. During
an endovascular AAA repair, the stent graft is
implanted in the abdominal aorta through small
incisions in the groins. The stent graft is inserted
through an opening in the femoral artery. After
the procedure, blood passes through the stent
graft, taking pressure off the weak aorta.
The abdominal aorta is the
main artery supplying blood to the lower body.
An aneurysm is an abnormal swelling of an artery.
Most aneurysms are caused by
hypertension. There are other factors, such as
heredity, nicotine use and elevated cholesterol
and lipids. Once an aneurysm develops, it continues
to grow. The more it grows, the more risk there
is for rupture.
There are significant benefits to patients
with this new procedure.
Because there is no abdominal incision,
there's less pain. A patient generally is able
to go home within two days. Traditional
AAA repair surgery requires a hospitalization
of at least a week and a recuperation of six to
eight weeks. Patients undergoing endovascular
AAA repair are usually back to normal activities
in a month.
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