PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — HCA Florida Largo Hospital is the first in Tampa Bay to successfully repair a patient's damaged aorta arch without the need for open-heart surgery.
The new device, Thoracic Endovascular Branch Graft, was recently approved by the FDA.
Sam Casimir, who lives in Manatee County, had the procedure done in December of 2022.
He went to the emergency room after experiencing shortness of breath, headaches and high blood pressure.
Doctors discovered an aneurysm in the aorta arch.
"This aneurysm started very close to the branches that bring the blood supply to the patient's brain and arms, so it’s a very difficult location to treat," said "Dr. Christiano Caldeira, a cardiothoracic surgeon with Largo Hospital.
Hospital officials said the technique allows the surgeon to repair the largest artery that is located in the chest with a stent graft delivered through a catheter.
"This is different than the normal stent that has been available for years. This one has branches on the stent that also brings the blood supply to the arm to allow us to deploy the stent closer, encroaching into the vessels in the arm," said Dr. Caldeira.
Cardiothoracic surgeons may select this innovative repair for patients who require a lesion repair as a result of an aneurysm, rupture or tear of the aorta wall or dissection of the lining of the aorta from the outer wall. The goal of the repair and implant of this device is to allow the blood flow to continue flowing past the aorta’s damaged parts without obstructing the brain branch vessels.
The procedure allows patients to avoid open-heart surgery and reduces risk and a patient's hospital stay.
"The risk is much lower, the risk of bleeding, complications, the hospitalization time is much lower, so again it will prevent a very large operation to be done," said Dr. Caldeira.
To learn more about the latest FDA approval and device details, CLICK HERE.
