INNOVATION
to heal patients and give them hope
PERFECT
FIT
Embracing a legacy of innovation in vascular care,
Scott & White specialists again bring advanced
technology to patients, through clinical trials and
a minimally invasive device newly approved by the
Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
he early 1990s began the
stent graft revolution for
patients with abdominal
aortic aneurysmal disease, and Scott
& White was at the forefront in using
that emerging, minimally invasive
technology. The introduction of stent
grafts—small covered mesh tubes that
open narrowed arteries—was very
exciting because it offered patients
who had abdominal aortic aneurysms
an option besides open aneurysm
surgery, which required a
lengthy hospital stay
and recovery
period. Now,
a new wave of
personalized
T
18
THE CATALYST August 14 | sw.org
medicine has Scott & White
at the forefront again; patients
benefit from technologies available
sooner right here, as Scott &
White vascular surgeons offer
them a new FDA-approved device and
are conducting clinical trials to test
emerging ones.
Most people may not know that
the aorta, the largest artery in the
body, is shaped like a candy cane,
extending from the heart all the way
through the abdomen. An aneurysm
can appear anywhere along the aorta
or iliac arteries. An aneurysm is a bulge
in the aortic wall, associated with
hardening of the arteries, smoking,
and other factors. Aneurysms can
be very dangerous, particularly
since many patients experience
no symptoms. Left untreated, an
aneurysm can rupture, leading to
internal bleeding and possibly sudden
death. Today, Scott & White patients
have access to three of the latest hightech endovascular devices, offering
minimally invasive solutions that
allow vascular surgeons to access the
diseased aorta through the blood
vessels, repairing aneurysms and a
similar problem, aortic dissection.
“We’re right on the leading edge of
medicine in the United States,” says
Marvin D. Atkins Jr., MD, vascular
surgeon and director of the Center for
Aortic Disease at Scott & White.