All patients treated at the Hospitals with aortic stent grafts, however, have gone home after one or two days, without the big scar or the associated pain. They have been able to return to their normal routine in a very short time. The patients are able to leave the hospital after a day or two in basically no pain and able to rapidly return to their normal lifestyle. The main concern with the minimally invasive approach is the lack of data on how it will perform in the long-term. Instead of opening the abdomen to replace the enlarged segment of the aorta with a conventional graft, a stent graft can be put in place using a thin, flexible wire inserted through two small incisions in the groin.
Physicians thread a guide wire from the groin up into the aorta.
The stent graft is then positioned across the weak spot in the aorta. Once in position, the device expands and attaches to the healthy portions of the artery, above and below the damaged areas, sealing off the diseased region while permitting normal blood flow to continue through the artery and the graft. UCH surgeons are studying whether they can safely and effectively repair abdominal aortic aneurysms through this minimally invasive approach with fewer complications than open surgery, which involves replacing the weakened section of the affected artery with an artificial bypass graft. The new method is expected to lower the risk of death, decrease the chance of requiring a blood transfusion, eliminate the need for intensive care, shorten hospital stays, allow for a rapid return to work and decrease health-care costs. It should also provide a new treatment option for patient too ill to undergo major surgery.