Texas Heart Institute(R) At St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital First In Texas To Use Revolutionary, Minimally Invasive Graft For Aortic Aneurysms

Main Category: Cardiovascular / Cardiology
Also Included In: Vascular
Article Date: 23 Oct 2008 - 2:00 PDT

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Texas Heart Institute (THI) at St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital announced today that it is the first in Texas to implant the Powerlink XL, a newly FDA-approved, minimally invasive device for the treatment of abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA). The procedure was the third in the United States but the first in the world to be performed percutaneously and with local anesthesia. Dr. Zvonimir Krajcer, co-director, Peripheral Vascular Disease Service at THI, performed the procedure on a patient who had multiple serious conditions and was not a viable candidate for surgery or general anesthesia.

"This is a brand new innovation that, because of its larger size, enables us to effectively treat AAA patients with challenging anatomy while lowering the patient's risks of open surgery," said Dr. Krajcer. "Not only was today's procedure successful, but it exemplified Texas Heart Institute once again as a forerunner in cardiovascular medicine."

AAA is a weakening in the wall of the abdominal aorta, which results in a balloon-like enlargement. About 1.7 million Americans have AAA, and the incidence of the condition increases with age. Most patients diagnosed with AAA have no symptoms. However, for those patients that do have symptoms, the most common one is pain in the abdomen, back, or chest. The pain may range from mild to severe. In some patients, the pain in their abdomen spreads to their back. Others feel the aneurysm as a throbbing mass in their abdomen. An enlarged AAA leaves the aorta vulnerable to rupture, which can lead to internal bleeding and death in most cases. Ruptured AAAs are the 13th leading cause of death in the United States.

The new Powerlink XL stent graft is made as one piece with a main body and two limbs. It has a fabric covering (the graft) and a metallic stent attached inside the graft for full support. Designed for a minimally invasive surgical approach, the Powerlink System's unique delivery mechanism requires only a small surgical incision in the groin area. Instead of making a large cut in the abdomen, the doctor makes a small cut in one groin and a small puncture in the other groin to get to the femoral arteries (blood vessels). An endovascular Powerlink stent graft is inserted through the small cut in the leg and placed inside the aneurysm in the aorta, allowing blood to flow through the endovascular stent graft rather than the weakened aneurysm part of the aorta. The stent graft remains inside the aorta permanently. This endovascular repair procedure may be done under local anesthesia and takes about 1 to 3 hours to complete. Patients will usually have a hospital stay of only a few days, with an overall recovery time of about 4 to 6 weeks.

Previously, stent grafts were typically inserted through a surgical exposure of the femoral artery in both legs, requiring the flow of blood through the aorta to stop while the graft is being sewn in place. The surgery is performed under general anesthesia and takes about 2 to 4 hours to complete. Patients will usually stay overnight in the intensive care unit and another 5 to 7 days in the hospital, with an overall recovery time of up to 3 months or longer.

More information on the Powerlink XL is available at http://www.endologix.com.

The Texas Heart Institute, founded by world-renowned cardiovascular surgeon Dr. Denton A. Cooley in 1962, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to reducing the devastating toll of cardiovascular disease through innovative and progressive programs in research, education and improved patient care. Together with its clinical partner, St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital, it has been ranked among the top ten cardiovascular centers in the United States by U.S. News & World Report's annual guide to "America's Best Hospitals" for the past 17 years. The Texas Heart Institute is also affiliated with the University of Texas (UT) System, which promotes collaboration in cardiovascular research and education among UT and THI faculty at the Texas Heart Institute and other UT components. For more information about the Institute, please visit http://www.texasheart.org.

St. Luke's Episcopal Health System includes St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital in the Texas Medical Center, founded in 1954 by the Episcopal Diocese of Texas; St. Luke's The Woodlands Hospital; St. Luke's Sugar Land Hospital; St. Luke's Episcopal Health Charities, a charity devoted to assessing and enhancing community health, especially among the underserved; and, KS Management Services, LLC, overseeing 18 area clinic locations. St. Luke's Clear Lake Hospital is scheduled to open in 2011 and plans are underway for St. Luke's Lakeside Hospital in The Woodlands. St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital is home to the Texas Heart® Institute, which was founded in 1962 by Denton A. Cooley, MD, and is consistently ranked nationally among the top 10 cardiology and heart surgery centers in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. Affiliated with several nursing schools and two medical schools, St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital was the first hospital in Texas named a Magnet hospital for nursing excellence, and twice has been honored with the Distinguished Hospital Award for Clinical Excellence™ by HealthGrades, a leading independent company that measures healthcare quality in hospitals. The Health System has been recognized by FORTUNE as among the "100 Best Companies to Work For" and by the Houston Business Journal as a top employer in Houston. St. Luke's Episcopal Health System also was honored as one of Modern Healthcare magazine's "100 Best Places to Work."

St. Luke's Episcopal Health System

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