I m grateful the doctors at UTMB have really taken good care of me. An AAA is a bulge in the aorta the main blood vessel carrying blood from the heart to the organs and is potentially fatal. One section of Marz s aorta had expanded to 4.6 centimeters in diameter. A normal aorta usually measures around 2.3 centimeters. Using a new device called the Ancure Endograft Vascular Graft , UTMB doctors were able to treat Marz and have him out of the hospital in less than 48 hours.
Many patients can go home the day after surgery.
The synthetic graft, which just received FDA approval last October, allows doctors to treat an AAA by a minimally invasive procedure requiring two small incisions in the groin. By using fluoroscopy in the operating room, doctors can guide the graft, which looks like a miniature pair of trousers, into the aorta through the leg. Once in place, blood flows through the device instead of through the bulged portion of blood vessel, causing the aneurysm to safely clot and shrink. About half of the patients needing repair of an AAA are eligible for the new procedure. Traditionally, an AAA had to be treated by making a large incision from just below the breastbone to the top of the pubic bone.