Thoracic Aortic
Surgery Program:
Specialists in High-Risk Aortic Surgery
January/February 2008
The Penn
Thoracic Aortic Surgery Program was the first comprehensive
program of its kind in the Philadelphia region. Since 1993,
the Program has both pursued frontline cardiovascular
research and offered innovative diagnostic and surgical
procedures for patients with aortic
disease.
Led by nationally and internationally recognized
cardiovascular surgeons Joseph
E. Bavaria, MD, Alberto
Pochettino, MD, and Wilson Y. Szeto, MD, and vascular surgeons Ronald
M. Fairman, MD, Jeffrey
Carpenter, MD, and Edward
Y. Woo, MD, the Thoracic Aortic Surgery Program is renowned
for performing complex, high risk interventions.
Currently,
two-thirds of cardio-aortic procedures at Penn are intricate
aortic root and ascending arch procedures--and Penn
surgeons treat four times more patients with high-risk aortic
aneurysms,
including aneurysm ruptures and traumatic transactions ––than any other
hospital in the region.
The Penn Thoracic Aortic Surgery Program specializes in innovative
high-risk aortic procedures. |
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Expanding the Surgical Options for Aortic Repair
Since the inception of the Thoracic Aortic Surgery Program, surgeons at
Penn have pioneered a number of procedures for aortic repair:
- Valve-sparing aortic root replacement – For patients with aortic root
and ascending aorta aneurysms, this procedure preserves the patient’s
native aortic valve, avoiding the imposition of lifelong anticoagulation.
- Endovascular dissection repair – the surgery of choice for acute Type
B aortic dissection complicated by rupture or malperfusion syndrome.
- Hybrid total arch repair – an alternative for select patients with
saccular arch aneurysms otherwise considered prohibitively high risk
for traditional open arch repair, this surgery employs a brachiocephalic
bypass with a trifurcated graft followed by concomitant placement
of a stent graft in the arch.
- Reoperative aortic root reconstructions – for patients with previous
aortic valve replacement, this surgery can be performed with a
low perioperative mortality rate and satisfactory long-term survival.
- Thoracic Aortic Stent graft repair – for patients with transverse arch
and descending thoracic aortic aneurysms, the goal of this therapy is
to prevent the aorta from rupturing. Penn surgeons led patient enrollment
in the FDA trial aimed at expanding the indications for endovascular stent
graft repair for patients with acute Type B aortic dissections, traumatic
transections, or aneurysmal rupture.
For Patients in Critical Need of Care: PennSTAR
The surgeons of Penn’s Thoracic Aortic Surgery Program are available
around the clock to provide prompt referral consultation and immediate
care for patients in acute or critical need. PennSTAR, the region’s leading
Level 1 flight service, provides 24-hour emergency medical air transfer
of patients within a 150-mile radius of the Hospital of the University of
Pennsylvania.
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Referring Physicians: To speak with a Penn physician
or refer a patient, contact PennHealth through the secure online
referral form or by calling
1-800-789-PENN
(7366). |
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